Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

A number of vehicles--Castillo recognized both Otto Gorner's company Mercedes-Benz S600 and his personal Jaguar XJ--were waiting for them. Gorner was out of his Jaguar and headed for the airplane before the stair door swung open.

When Gorner came up the stairs, Max growled.

"Get your goddamned animal under control, Billy!" Gorner almost shouted.

"That's Karlchen's goddamned animal, Otto," Kocian replied. "Talk to him."

Gorner looked around the cabin, then at Castillo.

"I thought you were coming alone," he said unpleasantly, the translation of which was I told you not to bring anybody from the CIA with you.

"Obviously, you were wrong," Kocian said, then nodded in the direction of the crowd outside his window. "Who are all these people, Otto?"

"Some are from the Bundeskriminal

amt, some are our security people, and some are the press."

"The press?" Castillo asked incredulously.

"The Tages Zeitung is going to offer a reward--fifty thousand euros--for information leading to the arrest of the people who killed Gunther Friedler," Gorner said evenly. "And that announcement will be made by you, Herr von und zu Gossinger, as chairman of the executive committee, just as soon as you get off this airplane."

He handed Castillo a sheet of paper.

"I took the liberty of preparing a few words for you to say when you make the announcement," Gorner said.

Jack Davidson saw the look in Castillo's eyes.

"Easy, Charley," Davidson said softly in Pashtu, one of the two major languages of Afghanistan, the other being Afghan Persian. "Be cool. Count to two thousand five hundred eleven. By threes. In Russian. Slowly."

Gorner looked at Davidson, clearly annoyed that he didn't understand what had been said.

Castillo met Davidson's eyes. He nodded and smiled just perceptibly. He was aware that he was furious, and had already ordered himself to put his mouth on total shutdown.

He glanced at Gorner and thought: Since I don't think you want me set up to be killed, Otto, what the fuck were you thinking?

Is this punishment for bringing what you think is the CIA with me?

No. You wrote my speech before you knew I had.

What this is, is Teutonic stupidity!

He looked back at Davidson and said in Russian, "Two thousand five hundred eight. Two thousand five hundred eleven."

Now both Kocian and Gorner looked at him in confusion.

"Daddy's proud of you," Davidson said in Pashtu, and meant it. He had been witness to Castillo losing his temper. "You get a gold star to take home to Mommy."

"That's a very good idea, Otto," Castillo said in English. "And thank you for this." He held up the sheet of paper. "After I announce the reward, what happens?"

"We go to Wetzlar so that you and Billy can pay your respects to Frau Friedler."

"I see a couple of problems with that, Otto. One is that I didn't know Herr Friedler or his wife and feel that I would be intruding on Frau Friedler's time with Billy."

Kocian grunted his agreement.

"Another is the dogs," Castillo went on. "I don't think Billy wants to take Madchen and the pups, and I know I don't want--"

"Pups?" Gorner asked. "You mean baby dogs?"