The Hostage (Presidential Agent 2)

"Did he say when he's-when they are coming?"

"Today."

"He say what flight they'll be on? And can I make it to Rhine-Main in time to meet it?"

"He said they have Fernando's airplane, and are going to Leipzig-Halle."

"They flew across the Atlantic in that little jet?"

"Is that one of those questions you really don't want the answer to?"

"Another one is 'why Leipzig?' The last I heard, Frankfurt is much closer to Paris."

"We never know what our Karlchen is up to, do we?"

"Really up to," Goerner said. "As opposed to what he says he is. So when do they get to Leipzig?"

"He said it would probably take them an hour and a half to get out of Paris, and that it's a little more than an hour's flight to Leipzig-Halle. That was ten minutes ago, so they should arrive between ten-thirty and eleven."

"If I leave right now, and drive very dangerously, I might be able to meet them."

"Can you get them all in your car?" she asked.

"Probably not," he said. "If they have much luggage, no. We'll just have to rent a car at the airport."

"Or I could drive over there in my car."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"The last time he was in here, I had maybe two whole minutes alone with him."

"Don't let me forget to call my wife and tell her they're coming," Goerner said. [THREE] Flughafen Leipzig-Halle 1040 27 July 2005 "My God!" Castillo greeted Goerner and Schroeder. "Who's minding the store?"

He kissed Frau Schroeder wetly on the forehead.

"Ach, Karlchen!" she said.

"Where's your friends?" Goerner asked.

"Going through immigration. We Germans can't be too careful about what Americans we let into the country, you know."

"I don't think that's very funny, Karl," Goerner said.

"Neither do I," Castillo said. "But the facts are that as a good German, I got waved through, and my friends are being very carefully examined by the authorities."

"Just who are your friends?"

"One is an Air Force colonel and the other is a Special Forces sergeant."

"I won't ask you what they're doing here because I don't think you would tell me the truth, and even if you did, I don't think I would want to know."

"I'll tell you. We are looking into the oil-for-food scandal."

"We already have people on that story."

"And I want to talk to them, especially the guy who covered the murder of M'sieu Douchon in Vienna. And I want to hear more about what the Alte Marburgers were saying about sanctuary-"

"I don't think we should have this conversation here, Karl, do you?" Goerner interrupted.