“What did Griezman want?”
“One of my traffic cars heard it on the radio. The American they’re looking for was seen in St. Pauli. His name is Wiley. Griezman’s men have Klopp’s police sketch in their cars.”
“Any other details?”
“One of my guys just checked a car in a no-parking zone near the water. Near some new apartments. It was one of Griezman’s detectives, in an unmarked unit, watching for Wiley. My guy asked why, and they talked for a minute. Just blue-to-blue gossip. Griezman’s guy didn’t know the details, but he said it was obviously some heavy duty thing. His orders came through flagged red.”
“What does that mean?”
“It used to mean organized crime, but now it means terrorism. The guy wasn’t clear whether it was supposed to be an old red or a new red. There’s some confusion at the moment. But I think it was a new red, because they were also watching an apartment near Reacher’s hotel. Earlier in the day. There was supposed to be a Saudi guy coming out. But it didn’t happen. I checked the city records and there’s an apartment in that building with three Saudis and an Iranian. All young men. I think this is some kind of Middle East thing.”
“Is Wiley in the city records?”
“No trace.”
“Klopp says he saw him in the bar more than once. Maybe someone there knows him.”
“Maybe,” Muller said.
Dremmler said, “We need you to get us a copy of Klopp’s police sketch.”
—
Neagley left, and then Bishop. Reacher took an armchair. Sinclair stayed on the bed. She said, “Waterman and White will be here tomorrow morning. And Landry and Vanderbilt. I relocated the whole operation. This is where the action is. We’ll work out of the consulate.”
“OK,” Reacher said.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Work life or personal life?”
“You can think about both at once?”
“Most of the time.”
“OK, work first.”
“Wiley’s hair.”
“What about it?”
“It’s a way in. Possibly. He didn’t cut it. He let it grow.”
“Maybe he was worried a barber would remember.”
“He could have done it himself. He shaved the sides every day. He could have shaved it all and started over. But he didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I think there’s a vanity to him. A kind of flamboyance. He likes Davy Crockett. Maybe he’s growing his hair long so he can buy a fringed suede jacket and be the king of the wild frontier. The way he moved on the tape was interesting. He’s a small guy, but he swaggers. He’s got it going on. And he bought expensive champagne. I think he likes grand gestures. Which combined with the hundred million dollars doesn’t make me feel good. It makes me feel like something huge is coming.”
Sinclair was quiet for a moment.
Then she said, “What about personal life?”
Reacher smiled.
He said, “You walked right into that one.”
“Which one?”
“Same exact answer,” he said. “I feel like something huge is coming.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said.
Chapter 26
When they woke up Reacher went back to his own room and showered, and dressed again. He took the stairs down to breakfast, alone. The four guys from McLean were in there already, after their overnight flight. Waterman, White, Landry, and Vanderbilt. Neagley was with them. They looked tired. She didn’t. Landry said he had traced the great-uncles. But the news was not good. Most were long dead and none had lived near the kid growing up. There was no evidence of contact. Not even circumstantial. They were not necessarily the visiting type. Two had done prison time. Extended influence was thought unlikely.
But Waterman had better news. He said Wiley’s mother had been located, and had agreed to an interview about her old boyfriends. She was living in New Orleans, on welfare. The local field office had been alerted. Agents would be dispatched. First results were expected in seven or eight hours. Because of the time zones.
White didn’t look happy to be there. The CIA guy. His hair looked longer than ever. He looked thinner. He was twitching and writhing. And wringing his hands, and squinting.
Reacher said, “What?”
White said, “They really need to get the Iranian out.”
“None of this comes from the messenger. We missed her completely.”
“Ratcliffe thinks too narrowly. If something bad happens to them in the city of Hamburg, their inquisition will range far and wide. Everybody will be a suspect. They aren’t dumb. They’ll deduce the facts. How many variables are there? Two different messengers, but only one house. The Iranian will last less than five minutes.”
“You should talk to Bishop.”
“Bishop runs the kid, but he doesn’t have the authority to pull him out.”
“He must have.”
“Not for big-picture reasons. Imminent danger only.”
“Which you think is now.”
“It will start the same minute you get your hands on Wiley. The minute their deal falls apart. Which will be when?”