"My grandmother had no such concerns. She took one look at the photo of Karl Wilhelm von und zu Gossinger that Naylor had shown her and said she could tell from the eyes--which were the same as his father's--her son's--that this was her grandson. Two hours after she met Allan Naylor for the first time, she went wheels-up with Naylor in my grandfather's Lear for New York, where they caught the five-fifteen PanAm flight to Frankfurt that afternoon.

"My grandfather caught up with her the next day. A week after that, clutching his brand-new American passport, Carlos Guillermo Castillo got on another PanAm 747 at Rhine-Main with his grandmother. My grandfather stayed in Germany a little longer. He buried my mother--she didn't want me to see her in her last days of that horrible disease--and he left Otto Gorner in charge--temporarily--of my assets. He's still in charge.

"As far as the German government is concerned, I am Karl Wilhelm von und zu Gossinger, which means I have a German passport. That's proven useful more than once in our line of work, and when, for example, I need a couple of hotel rooms in a hurry."

"Ace, if you think I'm going to be nicer to you," Delchamps said, "now that I know how rich you are--well, then, yes, sir, your excellency, mine Fuhrer, you handsome, wise, charming sonofabitch, I certainly will be."

"Screw you, Edgar," Castillo said. Then he exhaled audibly and added: "Okay, that's the story. Aside from bringing Jack Doherty and Sparkman up to speed--Jake has already heard all this--I'd really appreciate your keeping it--especially the soap opera details--to yourselves."

IV

[ONE]

Das Haus im Wald

Near Bad Hersfeld

Kreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg

Hesse, Germany

2315 26 December 2005

"We're almost there," Castillo said as the Jaguar swiftly moved down a macadam road winding through a thick pine forest.

A moment later,

he braked very sharply and with a squeal of tires made a right turn onto an almost identical road. The driver of the van behind them decided it best not to try to turn so fast and went past the turn, then stopped and backed up, then followed.

The headlights of the Jaguar lit up reflective signs on each side of the road. Each two-foot-square sign showed a skull and bones and the legend, ZUGANG VERBOTEN!!!

"Looks like they expect you, Ace," Edgar Delchamps said. "Welcome home!"

Then the headlights picked up the form of a heavyset man standing in the middle of the road. He was swinging a heavy-duty flashlight back and forth as a signal to stop. The man was wearing a heavy Loden cloth cape, the drape of which was distorted by what Castillo professionally guessed to be a submachine gun, probably a Heckler & Koch MP7A1.

He approached the car. Castillo put the window down.

"Wie gehts, Karlchen?" the man said, offering Castillo his hand.

From the backseat, Max moved so that his front paws were on the console between the front seats. He showed his teeth and growled deep in his chest.

"Oh, shut up, Max," the man said. "You know me."

Max sat down.

"Guten Abend, Siggie," Castillo said, chuckling.

"It is good to see you again, Karlchen."

"It's good to see you."

"You have Max. Are Herr Gorner and Herr Kocian close behind you?"

"I have Max and family. His wife, so to speak, and four of their pups are in a van coming right behind me. Otto and Uncle Billy went to Wetzlar; they should be along shortly."

"Frau Gorner will be overjoyed. You know how she loves dogs."

Castillo grinned broadly. "Wait until she learns one of the pups is for Willi and Hermann."

Tags: W.E.B. Griffin Presidential Agent Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net