He said, “The official reason given was ‘acts of treachery regarding a business dispute.’ I guess that’s what they call the loss of $20 million. Wasn’t it your agent who screwed that up?”
“My man did his job. At least that money won’t be used to buy any nuclear components. I’d rather see it as ash.”
“Can’t argue there, but I bet the family of that middle brother wishes things had gone different.”
She stared at the man. “Is there anything else?”
His hand slipped into a pocket and he pulled out a $20 bill. “I hear you’re into hidden symbols and secret messages on money. Here’s one you might not know about.”
She watched as he creased the bill in half, lengthwise, then folded the left and right sides upward, the bill now shaped like a house with a gabled roof.
He pointed at his creation. “See anything?” He pointed.
“Right there,” he said, “above the fold. It’s the Pentagon, burning, on 9/11.” He flipped the bill over. “And here are the twin towers.”
He was right. Both images were strikingly poignant.
“What are the odds?” he asked her.
“Is this some Treasury Department trivia?” she asked.
“You work with money all the time, you come across things. Frankly, I think it’s spooky as hell.”
“You came here to show me that?’
He shook his head. “Nope. I came to see your reaction.”
“To what?”
“We know where Kim is in Croatia.”
She did not mask her surprise. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Are we just too stupid at Treasury to know anything? The NSA is still monitoring Kim’s phone and email. We got a hit and a trace. Seems he’s getting sloppy, or desperate. I guess that depends on your point of view.”
“And why are you telling me?”
“It’s your guys on the ground, so my boss wanted you to know. And we decided not to broadcast it to the world on a cell phone line.”
“Tell Joe Levy I appreciate the news flash, but I don’t need a babysitter.”
“My boss doesn’t trust you. There’s a lot at stake here.”
“I could have all of you arrested.”
He chuckled. “But you won’t. That draws a lot of attention, especially from the White House, which you don’t want.”
She said nothing.
“There’s one other tidbit. You know the Chinese are involved, but they’ve also brought in the North Koreans. NSA picked that up, too. Beijing decided to curry some favor with their neighbor to the south and told them everything they know. The North Koreans are going to do the dirty work, while the Chinese sit back and watch. Gives them deniability. Thankfully, they’re all dumber than dirt, but unfortunately they’re also crazy as hell, so there’s no telling what might happen. You got nobody here on this with you. Zero. You’re flying solo. So my boss just thought you could use a little help from an old friend like me.”
“And when I find whatever there is to find, you’ll be there to make sure it’s properly destroyed.”
He shrugged. “That’s entirely possible.”
“Where is Kim?”
“He retreated to a Croatian luxury resort on the Virsko Sea. The Hotel Korcula. He’s in a two-bedroom suite. You want the room number?”
“What is it?”
An irritating smirk formed on his lips. “3506. Bet you thought I didn’t know.”
She stood. “Tell your boss I’d rather be shot by the Chinese, or the North Koreans, than have you help me. Stay off my tail.”
“I’m good with that. I don’t like you, anyway.”
She glanced around the courtyard. The schoolchildren were moving on. She counted six more people on the other benches. Two women, four men. Nobody paid her or Chick-fil-A Man the slightest heed. Actually, she did feel a bit alone. The only two agents she trusted with anything associated with this mess were engaged in Croatia. This end was hers. And she was stymied until Cotton solved the cipher. His last scrambled text message indicated that he was close.
She walked off.
Leaving Chick-fil-A Man alone.
FORTY-NINE
CROATIA
Malone was back in the American Corner with Luke and Howell.
“Wonder Woman going to play ball?” Luke asked.
“You know, she might actually surprise you.”
“She’s green as an unripe banana, Pappy.”
“She’s your partner on this one, so make it work. Hell, I got you last time and it was okay.”
Luke seemed puzzled. “Actually, I thought that was the other way around.”
Malone faced Howell. “Have you given any thought to what you and I talked about?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, I can do it.”
“I do worry. Kim has killed two people in the past twenty-four hours. A third would not be a problem for him.”
“Let him try.”
He pointed a finger. “That’s what I mean. Right there. Cockiness will get you killed, and that’s going to do none of us any good, especially you.”
Howell seemed to get the message. “If it matters, I’m scared to death. But I’ll get it done.”
“That’s what I want to hear. Fear’s a good thing, in small doses. Now tell me about where you’ve been hiding.”
Before he’d left to visit with Isabella he’d explained his plan to both Luke and Howell. What he needed was a place where his show could be staged. Howell had suggested a locale deep in Croatia.
“Solaris is a small village about two hours by rail from here, up in the mountains. Jelena was from there. I was just wandering, trying to vanish, and one day I stepped off the train. I met her and she asked me to stay.”
He listened as Howell told them that there were only a few hundred residents, the town located near the eastern border between Dalmatia and Bosnia. Serbs once dominated the area, but when Croatia retook the land in the 1990s they were all expelled in ethnic cleansing.
“Lots of ruined buildings and empty places are still there,” Howell said. “It’s largely rebuilt, but still economically depressed. Though the Croats didn’t realize it at the time, they needed those Serbs.”
“Did any of them come back?” Malone said.
Howell shook his head. “Precious few.”