The Assassination Option (Clandestine Operations 2)

I wonder what spooked her?

El Jefe had obviously come to much the same conclusion.

“I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to go back to the hotel,” he said.

“Yeah,” Cronley said. “So long, Franz Josef.”

The dog yipped at him again.

Cronley gave the can of peanuts to the woman.

“It was nice talking to you,” he said.

“Yes, it was,” she said. “And I thank you and Franz Josef thanks you for the peanuts.”

“My pleasure. Auf wiedersehen.”

Cronley, Finney, and El Jefe had gone to the Café Weitz in the Ford staff car. Mannberg had taken the streetcar from Ringstrasse, and Ostrowski had walked.

They returned to the Hotel Bristol the same way.

When Ostrowski walked into the lobby of the hotel, Cronley, Finney, and Schultz were in the dining room.

When they saw him, Schultz asked, very concerned, “Where the hell is Ludwig? We should have brought everybody back here.”

He stopped when he saw Mannberg come through the revolving doors into the lobby.

Mannberg walked to them and sat down.

“So what do we do now?” Cronley asked.

“Flag down the waiter so I can get one of those,” Mannberg said, indicating Cronley’s glass of whisky.

“That’s not what I meant,” Cronley said.

“Oh,” Mannberg said, thinking he now understood the question. “We go back to Pullach. We’re through here.”

“Jesus Christ!” Cronley flared. “What do we do about getting the money to Seven-K?”

“By now, I’m sure she has it,” Mannberg said. “I gave it to her man—actually her woman—in the restroom vestibule.”

“Seven-K was there?”

“Yes, Jim, she was,” Mannberg said, smiling broadly.

“She was in the café? Where?”

“Sitting next to you while you were feeding her and her dog peanuts.”

VII

[ONE]

Quarters of the U.S. Military Government Liaison Officer

The South German Industrial Development Organization Compound

Pullach, Bavaria