The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“Based on my personal knowledge of what happened in Afghanistan,” Darby said, “that was a reasonable conclusion to draw.”

“The bottom line,” Castillo said, “is that I made a deal with Montvale. In theory, I tell him what I’m doing and plan to do and he leaves me alone and helps me.”

“Helps you how?”

“For example, getting to use the agency’s air taxi services.”

“Then why are you dodging him?”

“I told you, because he’s still trying to tell me what to do. Tit for tat, I don’t tell him any more about what I’m going to do than I have to.”

Darby shook his head.

“Which leaves Tony and me between a rock and a hard place,” Darby said. “Okay, so who’s the old guy?”

“His name is Eric Kocian. He runs the Budapest Tages Zeitung. He’s been looking into the oil-for-food scandal.”

“That could be dangerous. How much has he found out?”

“Enough so there have been two attempts to kidnap him to see how much. The other Hungarian—his name is Sándor Tor—is an ex-cop who before that did a hitch in the French Foreign Legion. He kept the first attempt to kidnap/ whack Kocian from coming off. One of those guys—there were three; two got away—told the cops he was a vacationing housepainter from Dresden and had the papers to prove it.”

“You don’t think he was?” Santini asked, and then, when Castillo shook his head, asked, “So who were they?”

“I’m guessing ex-Stasi. But I don’t know that. And I have no idea who they’re working for. The second time they tried to kidnap and/or whack Kocian, there were two guys. They had Madsens and no i

dentification. Like the people at the estancia.”

“What’s their story?” Santini asked.

“I had to take them down. So I don’t know more than I told you.”

“You had to take them down?” Darby asked, and then, after Castillo nodded, he shook his head and asked, “And how many waves did that make?”

“I hope none. Sándor took them away in their car.”

Darby shook his head again.

“You can’t keeping walking through the raindrops forever, Charley.”

“That thought has occurred to me. I didn’t have any choice, Alex.”

“If they’re ex-Stasi, who are they working for now?” Santini asked.

Castillo shrugged.

“That’s what I’m hoping to find out. Kocian gave me everything he had. So did Ed Delchamps in Paris.”

“Ed’s a good man,” Darby said. “So you put him on the spot with Montvale, too?”

“I suppose it’s very unprofessional of Delchamps getting emotionally involved, but I have the feeling he’s as pissed off at these people as I am. Or maybe with the agency for doing nothing with what he’s been sending them.”

“I guess that makes me unprofessional, too. Jack Masterson was a friend of mine,” Darby said. “I’d really like to nail these bastards.”

“What does that make, counting me?” Santini asked. “Four amateurs?”

“And I think Yung may have something in his files…and may not know it,” Castillo said. “Speaking of him, where is he?”

“Odd that you should ask,” Darby said. “I was just about to say, ‘Speaking of coincidences.’”