Black Ops (Presidential Agent) Read online

"Thank you," Castillo said.

  When he had put it in his briefcase, she handed him a receipt to sign. He used the briefcase as a desk to sign it, and gave it back.

  "How long are you going to be?" Agnes asked.

  "I don't know," Castillo said. He paused. "Abuela, don't let him know I told you, but Billy's friend didn't die of natural causes."

  "I'm not surprised. It was in his eyes."

  "What I'm saying is that Billy is now pretty angry, and that may help us with Otto."

  "I don't think I understand," Dona Alicia said.

  "He doesn't like us using the Tages Zeitung as a source of information."

  "But you're the boss," Agnes said.

  "I don't want to have to confront him more than I already have," Castillo said. "I don't want him to quit."

  "He wouldn't do that," Dona Alicia said. "Not only is the Tages Zeitung his life, but he loves you."

  "He also has the journalistic ethical standards he got from my grandfather, and he doesn't think my grandfather would give the CIA the time of day."

  "But you're not CIA," Agnes said.

  "I don't think Otto believes that," Castillo said. "Anyway, Billy was closer to my grandfather than Otto was--closer than anyone else ever was--and what I'm hoping is that he will go through the Tages Zeitung database like a vacuum cleaner on overdrive and Otto will get the message. We'll see."

  The rear door of the hangar rose with a metallic screech.

  "For what we're paying for this place, you'd think they could afford a little grease," Castillo said.

  Three cars drove into the hangar. A total of five uniformed officers got out.

  "Here comes the bureaucracy," Castillo said. "I guess we can leave now."

  "Not until you arrange the dogs," Agnes said. "How long is that going to go on?"

  "Otto's kids get one of the puppies, whether or not Otto likes it--"

  "Carlos!"

  "One pup I'm keeping for a friend of mine in Argentina," Castillo went on. "That leaves two. One of which Delchamps says he wants."

  "Of course he does! Didn't you see him on his knees with the puppies yesterday?"

  "And Billy says he wants one to keep Madchen company. So that's it. Once we get Billy back to Budapest, no more airborne Noah's ark."

  "And you keep Max?" Dona Alicia asked.

  "It will be Max and me alone against the cold cruel world."

  "Billy doesn't want him? Or he's just saying that to be nice to you?"

  "I don't know, Abuela," Castillo said. "I asked him. He said he doesn't think Madchen will betray him the way Max has."

  "He doesn't mean that," Dona Alicia said.

  "Yeah, I know. But he's already named the pup Max, making that his Max the Tenth or Twelfth." Castillo looked at Agnes and changed the subject. "Are you going to put my grandma on her plane?"

  "After we have a nice lunch in the Old Ebbitt Grill, I will," Agnes said. "What do I do about the apartment in the Mayflower?"

  "When does the lease run out?"

  "The end of next month; you have to give them ten days' notice."

  "Well, let's see what happens toward the end of next month," Castillo said. Then he saw Jake Torine and Dick Sparkman walking across the hangar floor toward them. "Well, here come the airplane drivers. I guess it's time to go."

  [THREE]

  Above Antwerp, Belgium

  2045 26 December 2005

  Jake Torine said, "You've got it, Dick," then removed his headset, unstrapped himself, and went into the passenger compartment.

  It was crowded. The travel kennel was in the aisle at the rear. Madchen was lying in the aisle in front of it, keeping an eye on Max, who was lying in the aisle just inside the passenger compartment--and attached to Jack Davidson by a strong leash. Max was having trouble understanding not only that the honeymoon was over, but that the mother of their offspring had decided that he was a bad influence on their progeny and didn't want him anywhere near them.

  There were two couches, one on each side of the aisle. Billy Kocian--in a red silk dressing gown--was sprawled regally on one of them, reading, and Jack Doherty was on the other, snoring softly with his mouth open. David W. Yung was in the right forward-facing seat and typing on the computer in his lap. Edgar Delchamps was sitting, asleep, in the forward-facing seat nearest the stair door. Sandor Tor, also asleep, sat in the rear-facing chair across from Delchamps.

  Across the aisle, Davidson, with Max attached to him, was sitting in the rear-facing seat across from Castillo, who was on the telephone. When Castillo saw Torine, he held up a finger to signal Jake to wait.

  "I don't think there'll be a problem with our ambassador," Castillo said. "But this will make sure there's no problem with the other one." He paused to listen, then said, "Thank you very much, ma'am."

  This strongly suggested to Torine that Castillo was talking to Secretary of State Natalie Cohen.

  "Yes, ma'am, I will," Castillo said. "Thank you again, Madam Secretary." And then he said: "Break it down, please, White House," and put the handset in its cradle on the bulkhead.

  "What was that all about?"

  "The secretary of State is about to telephone our evil leprechaun in Montevideo--"

  "I thought Duffy was our evil leprechaun."

  "Comandante Liam Duffy is our evil leprechaun in Argentina. I was referring to our evil leprechaun in Uruguay, one Ambassador Michael A. McGrory."

  "Oh. Thank you for the clarification. And what is the secretary going to say to the ambassador?"

  "That she is dispatching a Secret Service agent by the name of Britton--recently a member of the Vice President's Protection Detail--to ensure the safety of Ambassador Lorimer, and that he is to be given what support he asks for and not to be assigned other duties."

  "Did you happen to mention the circumstances under which Britton left the protection detail?"

  "Yeah. I don't try to con her. She's (a) too nice and (b) too smart. I told her just about everything except his rudeness to the SACs. And then I asked her what she thought about sending him to check on the ambassador's security arrangements, and she thought that was a splendid idea."

  "You knew she would. She really likes the old guy. You don't consider that conning her?"

  "No, I don't."

  Torine shook his head.

  "You noticed that thanks to a lovely tailwind we didn't have to land for fuel?" Torine asked.

  Castillo nodded.

  "We're about two hundred miles--half an hour--from Flughafen Frankfurt am Main," Torine went on."There was an in-flight advisory just now; we are to be met by unidentified government authorities."

  Castillo raised his eyebrows, then looked at Davidson. "Jack, make sure to remind me to remind everybody my name is Gossinger."

  "Jawohl, Herr Oberst."

  "Just 'herr,' Jack. My grandfather was the oberst. I'm the ne'er-do-well heir to the fruit of his hard labor."

  "I knew that," Davidson said.

  Ground Control directed the Gulfstream to a tarmac and collection of buildings away from the main terminal. Castillo thought--but wasn't sure--that it was probably what was left of what had been Rhine-Main USAF Base.

  A number of vehicles--Castillo recognized both Otto Gorner's company Mercedes-Benz S600 and his personal Jaguar XJ--were waiting for them. Gorner was out of his Jaguar and headed for the airplane before the stair door swung open.

  When Gorner came up the stairs, Max growled.

  "Get your goddamned animal under control, Billy!" Gorner almost shouted.

  "That's Karlchen's goddamned animal, Otto," Kocian replied. "Talk to him."

  Gorner looked around the cabin, then at Castillo.

  "I thought you were coming alone," he said unpleasantly, the translation of which was I told you not to bring anybody from the CIA with you.

  "Obviously, you were wrong," Kocian said, then nodded in the direction of the crowd outside his window. "Who are all these people, Otto?"

  "Some are from the Bundeskriminal
amt, some are our security people, and some are the press."

  "The press?" Castillo asked incredulously.

  "The Tages Zeitung is going to offer a reward--fifty thousand euros--for information leading to the arrest of the people who killed Gunther Friedler," Gorner said evenly. "And that announcement will be made by you, Herr von und zu Gossinger, as chairman of the executive committee, just as soon as you get off this airplane."

  He handed Castillo a sheet of paper.

  "I took the liberty of preparing a few words for you to say when you make the announcement," Gorner said.

  Jack Davidson saw the look in Castillo's eyes.

  "Easy, Charley," Davidson said softly in Pashtu, one of the two major languages of Afghanistan, the other being Afghan Persian. "Be cool. Count to two thousand five hundred eleven. By threes. In Russian. Slowly."

  Gorner looked at Davidson, clearly annoyed that he didn't understand what had been said.

  Castillo met Davidson's eyes. He nodded and smiled just perceptibly. He was aware that he was furious, and had already ordered himself to put his mouth on total shutdown.

  He glanced at Gorner and thought: Since I don't think you want me set up to be killed, Otto, what the fuck were you thinking?

  Is this punishment for bringing what you think is the CIA with me?

  No. You wrote my speech before you knew I had.

  What this is, is Teutonic stupidity!

  He looked back at Davidson and said in Russian, "Two thousand five hundred eight. Two thousand five hundred eleven."

  Now both Kocian and Gorner looked at him in confusion.

  "Daddy's proud of you," Davidson said in Pashtu, and meant it. He had been witness to Castillo losing his temper. "You get a gold star to take home to Mommy."

  "That's a very good idea, Otto," Castillo said in English. "And thank you for this." He held up the sheet of paper. "After I announce the reward, what happens?"

  "We go to Wetzlar so that you and Billy can pay your respects to Frau Friedler."

  "I see a couple of problems with that, Otto. One is that I didn't know Herr Friedler or his wife and feel that I would be intruding on Frau Friedler's time with Billy."

  Kocian grunted his agreement.

  "Another is the dogs," Castillo went on. "I don't think Billy wants to take Madchen and the pups, and I know I don't want--"

  "Pups?" Gorner asked. "You mean baby dogs?"

  "Four of them," Castillo said, pointing down the aisle at the travel kennel. "One of them is a gift from Billy and myself to your kids, our godchildren."

  "We can talk about that later," Gorner said.

  "And I want to get Inspector Doherty and Special Agent Yung--"

  "Who?"

  "They're FBI, Otto. I want to get them together with the German police as quickly as possible--"

  "Karl, I don't know about that," Gorner protested.

  "We're going to need all the help we can get to find these murderers, Otto," Billy Kocian said. "And Doherty and Yung are recognized experts in their fields."

  He didn't say which fields, Castillo thought admiringly.

  I don't think either one of them knows much about investigating a murder. But Billy knows Otto can be a self-righteous pain in the ass unless you control him.

  And already Billy is acting in charge, letting Otto know, as I'd hoped.

  "I'll get on the phone," Gorner said.

  "So what I'm thinking, Otto, is that it would be best if you took Billy to Wetzlar and I took Doherty and Yung to Marburg--put them up in the Europaischer Hof, where they could get together with the authorities first thing in the morning. Then I'll take everybody else--including the dogs--with me in either the Jag or the Mercedes and the van to the Haus im Wald. That make sense?"

  "It does to me," Billy Kocian said, his tone suggesting his opinion settled the matter once and for all.

  Gorner looked at him for a long moment, made a face of resignation, and nodded.

  "Take my Jaguar," he said. "I suspect I will need a drink--several drinks--in Wetzlar, and I don't want to drink and drive."

  [FOUR]

  Route A5

  Near Bad Homburg

  2210 26 December 2005

  "Please do so," Castillo said in response to an announcement from the information operator that, having found the number he asked for, they would for a small fee be happy to connect him directly.

  Castillo was driving the Jaguar. Edgar Delchamps was in the front passenger seat. David Yung and Jack Davidson were squeezed in the backseat with Max between them. Max looked out the rear window at the Mercedes-Benz van that was following them and carrying Jack Doherty, Jake Torine, Dick Sparkman, Madchen, the puppies, two members of the Gossinger Beteiligungsgesellschaft, G.m.b.H., security staff, and their luggage.

  "Europaischer Hof," came over the speaker system of the Jaguar. "Guten Abend."

  "Here is Karl von und zu Gossinger, of Gossinger Beteiligungsgesellschaft," Castillo replied more than a little imperiously in German.

  "And how may we be of service, Herr von und zu Gossinger?"

  "I will require accommodations for the next few days for two business associates. A suite with separate bedrooms would be preferable, but failing that, two of your better singles."

  "We will be honored to be of service, Herr von und zu Gossinger. When may we expect your associates?"

  "In about an hour. I presume there will be no difficulty in billing this directly to the firm?"

  "None whatever."

  "We will wish to eat. Will that pose a problem?"

  "We will keep the restaurant open for your guests, Herr Gossinger."

  Castillo's face wrinkled as he continued looking forward and mentally counted heads.

  "There will be nine of us."

  "We look forward to serving you, Herr von und zu Gossinger."

  "Thank you very much," Castillo said, and reached for the telephone's OFF button on the spoke of the steering wheel.

  Edgar Delchamps applauded.

  "Very good, Herr von und zu Gossinger," he said. "Just the right touch of polite arrogance. I could hear him clicking his heels."

  "Well, you know what they say, Edgar. 'When in Rome,' or for that matter, in Das Vaterland . . ."

  "That said, don't you think it's about time to bring your business associates up to speed about where everybody, including you, fits into the landscape?"

  Castillo was silent a long time as he considered that. Then he made a small frown that suggested, Why not?

  "Okay," he said. "Take notes. There will be a quiz. Think Stalingrad. The Red Army is firing harassing and intermittent artillery at the Germans. They get lucky and make a hit on a Kublewagon--"

  "A what?" Yung asked.

  "The military version of the Volkswagen Bug," Davidson furnished. "They were selling them in the States a while back."

  "Oh, yeah. I remember," Yung said. "Cute little car!"

  "If I may be permitted to continue with the history lesson?" In the rearview mirror, he saw Yung mouth, Sorry. "Thank you. Said Kublewagon was carrying a light bird, general staff corps, on Von Paulus's staff--"

  "I remember Von Paulus," Delchamps said. "He got on the phone to Hitler, told him they were surrounded, out of ammo, down to eating their horses, and could he please surrender? To which Der Fuhrer replied, 'Congratulations, General, you are now a field marshal. German field marshals do not surrender. You do have, of course, the option of suicide. . . .' "

  "Really?" Yung asked.

  "And the next day, Field Marshal von Paulus surrendered," Delchamps finished, "in effect telling Hitler, 'Screw you, my Fuhrer.' "

  Castillo said: "If I may continue: The light bird in the Kublewagon suffered life-threatening wounds and would have been KIA had not an eighteen-year-old Gefreite--a corporal--from Vienna dragged him into the basement of a building and applied lifesaving measures. No good deed goes unpunished, as you know. The next couple of H-and-I rounds hit the building, causing the corporal to also suffer grievous w
ounds.

  "The next day, the medics found both of them and loaded them--my grandfather the light bird and Billy Kocian the corporal--on one of the last medical evacuation flights back to the Fatherland . . ."

  "No shit!" Yung said wonderingly.

  ". . . where both were put into an army hospital in Giessen, which is not far from where we're going. Billy got out first. To keep him from being sent back to the Eastern Front, good ol' Grandpa got him assigned as his orderly. When Grandpa got out of the hospital, they put him in charge of an officer's POW camp in Poland. He took Gefreite Kocian with him.

  "This place was the nearest officers' POW camp to the Katyn Forest, near Smolensk, in Russia. A couple of hundred miles--"

  "You're losing me, Charley," Jack Davidson said.

  "When the Germans and Russians were pals, and they invaded Poland in 1940, the Russians took almost five thousand Polish officers who had surrendered out to the Katyn Forest. First they made them dig holes . . ."

  "Okay," Davidson said. "I'm now with you."

  "I'm so glad, Jack," Castillo said. "After the officers had dug the holes, the Russians wired their hands behind them, shot them in the back of the head with small-caliber pistols, and dumped them in the holes, which were then covered up."

  "Nice people, the Russians," Delchamps said. "Anybody who knows me knows I've always said that."

  Castillo went on: "When the Germans and the Russians were no longer pals, and the Germans invaded Russia, and they got to Smolensk, they found the graves. The Russians denied any knowledge, said if anybody shot Polish POWs, it had to be those terrible Germans.

  "How to get the truth out? wondered those terrible Germans.

  "One of the prisoners in my grandfather's POW camp was Patton's son-in-law. My grandfather was ordered to take him and a bunch of other American field-grade officers, including some doctors, to the site, and proved to them that their Russian buddies were the bad guys.

  "The story didn't come out for years, but the Americans who had been taken to Katyn knew about it, and remembered the German officer who had taken them to see the graves.

  "Okay. So now the war is over. My grandfather and Billy are released from our POW camps and go home. Grandpa goes home and finds that all of his newspapers have been bombed and that most of his farmland is on the wrong side of the fence between the American and Russian zones. Meanwhile, Billy goes home to Vienna and finds that all of his family was killed the day we bombed Saint Stephen's Cathedral and the Opera House.