Private Berlin (Private 5)

“Way ahead of you again,” Katharina said. “I’ve called in Brecht from Amsterdam, and Jack Morgan’s on his way from Los Angeles in the Private jet.”

“I’ll be at work by seven,” Mattie promised and hung up.

She put the beer, the list, and her phone on her nightstand, and then went in to kiss Niklas good night.

“I’m praying for Chris,” Niklas said after she’d shut off the light.

“I am too, sweetheart,” Mattie said.

She closed the door, told her aunt good night, and went into her bedroom. After showering and putting on her nightgown, she got in bed with the beer. She almost turned on the television, but then got out her laptop.

She signed in to her Private e-mail account, and found a note from the Countess von Mühlen’s grandmother, thanking her for her prompt, efficient w

ork. Mattie replied that she thought Sophia was just a sweet, mixed-up kid and wished her well.

Mattie quit out of the mailbox before she thought to sign in to her personal account. She hadn’t looked at that e-mail account in well over a week, but then again the only person to use it regularly was…

Amid the spam, Mattie spotted an e-mail from Chris with a date stamp of the prior Wednesday evening at approximately 10 p.m. She opened it and saw only an MPEG attachment. She clicked on it.

Chris’s face appeared on her screen. He was in his apartment, in the alcove, looking weary, and sounding partially drunk, with Socrates in his lap.

“Hi, Mattie. I’ve tried to respect your wishes and not contact you, but…” He stopped, looking away from the camera.

He cleared his throat, gazed at the lens again, and said, “Mattie, I’ve gotten on to something, and I feel that if I can see this through, then it’ll be better, better for me, and better for you, and for Niklas.”

Chris’s eyes glistened, watering with tears. “These past few weeks have been the worst I can remember since I was a kid. I miss you, Mattie. I miss Niklas, too. And Aunt Cäcilia. Call me? Or send me a message back? However you want to contact me, I’ll be waiting. I love you both. I always will.”

The clip ended and went dark.

Mattie collapsed into sobs so loud that Aunt Cäcilia came running.

CHAPTER 20

IT’S JUST AFTER dawn, my friends, and the rain pours as I drive south out of Berlin in the Mercedes Benz ML500 I picked up last year. Do you know the ML500? It’s like a tank in wet conditions, my power vehicle, my go-anywhere car.

Normally I’m the picture of confidence behind the 500’s wheel. But I’m nervous as I drive, thinking about the police at the slaughterhouse last night. When I awoke, I desperately wanted to pass by again this morning, but I had such a long way to drive and so little time before I needed to be back at work.

Southeast of Halle, I find a two-track lane that goes down by the river, a secluded spot. Especially in this foul weather.

I park and wait, thoughtless except for the pleasant task before me.

Twenty minutes later, a motorcyclist rides up wearing rain slickers and a black helmet. The deluge has ebbed to a light drizzle. I get out wearing a rain jacket with deep pockets and my gloved hands shoved into them.

My friend pulls off the helmet, revealing a swarthy man in his late thirties, a Turk who is also a thief. And as a thief would, my friend says, “I want more money. I almost got caught. I almost got killed.”

“So you said on the phone last evening,” I reply agreeably. “Fifty thousand euros instead of the twenty-five. Will that cover it?”

I could see the thief had expected an argument, but now he nods.

“You show me yours,” I say. “I’ll show you mine.”

My friend goes to dig in his saddlebags. I open the rear of the Mercedes. Next to the tarp that contains the body of the computer hacker, I find a leather satchel. I open it and draw out a little something to help speed things along. Then I pick up the bag as if I were serving it at a fine restaurant, the jaws gaped so the cash inside is visible.

I walk to the thief. He’s holding the hard drive.

I make as if to hand him the moneybag and then stumble. The bag pitches from my hands.

My friend instinctively reaches out to catch it.