VIENNA
4:30 PM
THORVALDSEN ADMIRED ALFRED HERMANN’S SPECTACLE OF flowers, water, and marble, the enormous garden an obvious labor of several generations. Shady walks wound out from the château to grassy glades, the brick paths lined with statues, bas-reliefs, and fountains. Every so often French influences yielded to a clear taste for Italy.
“Who are the people who own this place?” Gary asked.
“The Hermanns are a family of long standing in Austria, just as my family is in Denmark. Quite wealthy and powerful.”
“Is he your friend?”
An interesting question, considering his suspicions. “Up until a few days ago, I believed that to be the case. But now I’m not so sure.”
He was pleased with the boy’s inquisitiveness. He knew about Gary’s parentage. When he’d returned from taking Gary back home after their summer visit, Malone had told him what Pam had revealed. Thorvaldsen had feigned ignorance when he’d first seen her a few nights ago, though he’d instantly known her identity. Her presence in his house, with Malone, signaled trouble, which was why he’d stationed Jesper outside the study door. Pam Malone was high-strung. Luckily she’d calmed down. She should have been back in Georgia by now. Instead, the caller from Tel Aviv had said, Seems Malone and his ex-wife are presently on their way to Lisbon.
What was happening? Why go there? And where was the Talons of the Eagle?
“We’ve come here,” he said to Gary, “to help your father.”
“Dad never said anything about us leaving. He told me to stay put and be careful.”
“But he also said for you to do as I say.”
“So when he yells at me, I expect you to take the blame.”
He grinned. “With pleasure.”
“You ever seen a person shot?”
He knew Tuesday’s memory had to be troubling, no matter how brave the lad wanted to be. “Several times.”
“Dad shot the man dead. But you know what? I didn’t care.”
He shook his head at the bravado. “Careful, Gary. Don’t ever become accustomed to killing. No matter how much someone may deserve it.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s only, he was a bad man. He threatened to kill Mom.”
They passed a marble column surmounted by a statue of Diana. A breeze caressed the trees and trembled shadows cast out on the undulating turf. “Your father did what he had to do. He didn’t like it. He just did it.”
“And I would have, too.”
Genetics be damned. Gary was Malone’s son. And though the boy was but fifteen, his indignation could certainly be aroused-just like his father’s-especially if a loved one was threatened. Gary knew his parents had traveled to London, but he didn’t know his mother was still involved. He deserved the truth.
“Your mother and father are on their way to Lisbon.”
“That’s what the call in the room was about?”
He nodded and smiled at the decisive manner in which the boy handled news.
“Why is Mom still with him? She didn’t say a word about staying when she called last night. They don’t get along.”
“I have no idea. We’ll have to wait until one of them calls again.” But he desperately wanted to know the answer to that question, too.
Ahead, he spotted their destination. A circular pavilion of colored marble topped by gilded iron. Its open balustrade overlooked a crystalline lake, the silvery surface quiet in the shade.
They entered and he approached a railing.
Massive vases packed with aromatic flowers dotted the interior. As always, Hermann had made sure the estate was a showpiece.
“Somebody’s coming,” Gary said.
He did not look back. He didn’t have to. He saw her in his mind. Short, dumpy, exhaling loudly as she walked. He kept his gaze toward the lake and enjoyed the sweet smell of grass, flowers, and experience.
“Is she coming fast?”
“How did you know it’s a woman?”
“You’ll learn, Gary, that you cannot win a fight if your enemy is not, in some ways, predictable.”
“It’s Mr. Hermann’s daughter.”
He continued to admire the lake, watching a family of ducks paddle toward shore. “Say nothing to her about anything. Listen, but speak little. That’s how you discover what you need to know.”
He heard soles slapping the pavilion’s stone flooring and turned as Margarete marched close.
“They told me in the house that you’d come here,” she said. “And I remembered this was one of your favorite places.”
He smiled at her evident satisfaction. “It has privacy. So far from the château. The trees provide tranquility. I do like this spot. A favorite of your mother’s, if I recall.”
“Father built it specially for her. She spent her last day alive here.”
“You miss her?”
“She died when I was young. So we were never close. But Father misses her.”
“You don’t miss your mother?” Gary asked.
Though the boy had violated what he’d been cautioned, Thorvaldsen didn’t mind the inquiry. He was actually curious, too.
“Of course I miss her. It’s simply that we were not close-as mother and daughter.”
“You seem to have acquired an interest in the family businesses and the Order.”
He watched as thoughts dialed into her mind. She’d inherited more of her father’s rugged Austrian looks than her mother’s Prussian beauty. Not a particularly attractive woman-dark-haired, brown eyes, with a thin, high nose. But who was he to judge, considering his crooked spine, bushy hair, and weathered skin? He wondered about suitors, but decided this woman would never give herself to anyone. She was a taker.
“I’m the only Hermann left.” And she added a smile that was surely intended to be comforting, but instead flashed with annoyance.
“Does that mean you will inherit all this?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea what your father thinks. I have found, though, that there are no guarantees in this world.”
He saw that she did not like his implications. He gave her no time to react and asked, “Why did your father try to harm this boy?”
His sudden inquiry inspired a baffled look. She clearly wasn’t a master of the stoic, either-not like her father.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He wondered. Maybe Hermann had kept his plans from her.
“Then you have no idea what die Klauen der Adler is doing?”
“He’s not my responsib-” She caught herself.
“Not to worry, my dear. I know of him. I only wondered if you did.”
“That man is a problem.”
Now he knew she was not a part of anything. Too much information flowed far too freely. “I wholeheartedly agree. But as you say, neither of us has any responsibility for him. Only the Circle.”
“I was unaware the members knew of him.”
“There are many things I’m aware of. In particular, what your father is doing. That, too, is a problem.”
She seemed to catch the conviction in his tone. Her chubby face flashed a nervous smile. “Remember where you are, Henrik. This is Hermann land. We command what happens here. So you shouldn’t concern yourself.”
“That’s an interesting observation. One I’ll try not to forget.”
“I think, perhaps, you and Father need to finish this conversation.”
She turned to leave, and as she did he raised an arm in a quick gesture.
From thick cypresses, heavy with age, three men materialized, dressed in camouflage fatigues. They trotted forward and arrived just as Margarete stepped from the pavilion.
Two of the men grabbed her.
One clamped a hand over her mouth.
She resisted.
“Henrik,” Gary said. “What’s Jesper doing here?”
The third man was his chamberlain, who’d flown in earlier and infiltrated the estate. From other visits, Thorvaldsen knew-contrary to Margarete’s boast-that the heaviest security was confined to the house. The remaining hundreds of acres were neither fenced nor patrolled.
“Stand still,” he said to her.
She stopped struggling.
“You’re going with these gentlemen.”
Her head shook violently.
He’d expected her to be difficult. So he nodded and the hand over her mouth was replaced with a cloth, one he knew contained enough anesthetic to induce a deep sleep. Only a few seconds were required for the vapors to work. Her body went limp.
“What are you doing?” Gary asked. “Why are you hurting her?”
“I’m not. But I assure you, they would have hurt you if your father had not acted.” He faced Jesper. “Keep her safe, as we discussed.”
His employee nodded. One of the men draped Margarete’s stout body over his shoulder, and all three retreated into the trees.
“You knew she’d come out here?” Gary asked.
“As I said, it’s good to know your enemy.”
“Why are you taking her?”
He liked lessons and missed teaching Cai. “You don’t drive a car without insurance. What we’re about to do has risks, as well. She’s our insurance.”