“Most of the paintings are religious. Like scenes from the Bible.”
“In other words, typical church shit.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nothing unusual?”
Andropoulos shook his head. “Not that I can remember.”
“Nothing predating Christ?”
“Sorry, sir, I don’t know much about art.”
Dial nodded in empathy. History and art weren’t his strengths, either. Still, it seemed pretty strange that the public frescoes in the local monasteries showcased religion while the hidden artwork at Holy Trinity-the door, the shelves, the stone altar-featured war.
What did warfare have to do with Metéora?
Furthermore, what did it have to do with the murdered monks?
Obviously, they were slaughtered for a reason. And in all likelihood their heads were severed to leave a message. But a message about what? About religion? About Greece?
Or, as he feared, something he knew nothing about?
Dial shook his head in frustration. How could he catch the killers if he couldn’t put the murders in a proper context? Without context, he couldn’t determine a motive. And without a motive, he couldn’t come up with a list of suspects-unless, of course, trace evidence discovered something unexpected. But at this stage of the game, he wasn’t counting on that.
No, if he wanted to solve this case, he realized he had to learn more about the hidden artwork. And why men of peace would worship war.
25
Kaiser sat on a bench underneath one of the chestnut trees in St. Martin’s Square. A newspaper lay next to him. His manner was calm, completely relaxed. Like someone enjoying the warm weather on his lunch break. As people strolled by, he occasionally smiled and nodded. Sometimes he even waved. Whatever helped him blend in with his surroundings.
Payne and Jones watched him from opposite ends of the square. They scanned all the faces around him, making sure nobody looked out of place. Not because they didn’t trust Kaiser, but because they were about to break the law in a very public place.
And getting arrested was the last thing they needed.
Once Jones was sure the plaza was clear, he signaled to Payne by crouching down and tying his shoe. It meant Payne could approach the bench with caution. From that point on, if Jones repeated the action, it meant trouble was coming and he needed to leave. Just to be safe, Kaiser had a signal as well. If he noticed anything suspicious, he would simply stand up and walk away.
But so far, everything looked fine.
Payne approached from the front just to make sure he didn’t startle Kaiser. For a large man Payne was incredibly light on his feet and had the innate ability to sneak up on people. His grandfather used to call it “walkin’ like an Indian.” Payne realized the expression was no longer politically correct, but “walkin’ like a Native American” didn’t have the same ring to it.
“Take a seat,” Kaiser said.
Payne sat on the bench and glanced across the square. Jones was standing near a bus stop, casually looking for danger. He saw none. “Any problems?”
“Nope. I got everything you needed. Passports and visas are inside the newspaper. They look wonderful. You’ll be impressed.”
“Weapons?”
“In a shopping bag under the bench. Ammo, too.”
“Boat?”
“A fishing boat out of Finland. It looks shitty, but it’ll do the job. Details are inside the newspaper. Word of warning: The captain is something of a character. He was paid for twenty-four hours of service. After that, he’s out of there-whether you’re aboard or not.”
Payne nodded. That’s how most mercenaries worked. “Money?”
“I checked my account. We’re cool. Your transfer went through.”
“Good. The second half will arrive shortly.”
“I know it will.”
Payne smiled. It had taken many years to earn that level of trust through a combination of keeping his promises and keeping his mouth shut. Those two skills went a long way in this business.
“Anything else?”
Kaiser nodded. “Now that you mention it, a couple of things are bothering me.”
Payne glanced at him but said nothing.
“I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds when I told you guys about Russia. I know race is a sensitive subject to some people, but I would’ve felt like an asshole if I hadn’t mentioned it.”
Payne shook his head. “Not to worry. You didn’t offend anyone. In fact, D.J. appreciated your candor. You know us. We hate surprises-especially overseas.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ve been worried about that since breakfast.”
“Well, stop your damn worrying. Things are cool on our end.”
“In that case, let’s talk about the second thing. I wasn’t going to bring this up if you guys were pissed at me about number one. But since you aren’t, I figured I’d ask.”
“Go on.”
Kaiser leaned closer. “I need your opinion on something. Your honest opinion. Lies will do me no good here. I need you to tell me the truth.”
Payne looked him and nodded. “I promise. I’ll tell you the truth.”
A few seconds passed before Kaiser broke into a wide grin. “Where do you stand on the links versus patties debate?”
Payne and Jones took a taxi back to Ramstein Air Base, arriving an hour before their flight to Finland. Unlike the first leg of their trip, when they rode in the belly of a cargo plane, their second flight would be far more pleasant-thanks to good fortune and a few favors.
A brigadier general by the name of Adamson was vacationing in Helsinki and needed to be picked up that evening for a military summit in Stockholm. The transport plane was a richly appointed private jet-equipped with leather seats, TV screens, and a wet bar-that was owned and operated by military lobbyists based in Kaiserslautern. The flight was scheduled to be empty on its journey north, except for four armed guards who were to accompany the general to Sweden. But all that changed when Payne called one of his contacts at the Pentagon.
Suddenly, six passengers would be making the trip.
There were two main airports in Helsinki. Vantaa was the largest in Finland and the fourth largest in the Nordic countries. It handled most of the commercial flights into the capital city and served as the hub for Finnair, Finland’s largest airline. The other airport, Malmi, was much smaller and handled most of the private traffic into Helsinki. So that was where they were headed. Located 7 miles from the city, Malmi was much more relaxed than Vantaa in terms of rules, regulations, and inspections. Once they were on the ground, Payne and Jones knew they could slip into the terminal unseen. From there, they could take a taxi to Helsinki Harbor, where they would meet the boat captain that Kaiser had hired.