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FORTY-FOUR

VIENNA

1:00 PM

THORVALDSEN STEPPED FROM THE BATHROOM AND WATCHED Gary unpack Other than what he’d been wearing when he was kidnapped a few days ago, the boy had no clothes So yesterday Jesper had s

"This house is old, isn’t it?" Gary asked

"Built ade"

"Lots of old stuff in Europe Not like back hoer"

"Great rooht the acco On the second floor Near their host A first for his that surely once belonged to a woman of taste

"Do you like history?" he asked

Gary shrugged "Not until the past two su here, when you see it"

He decided it was time to tell the boy their situation "What did you think of our host and his daughter?"

"Not all that friendly But they see ti"

Gary sat on the bed

"I think he may have been behind your abduction"

He watched as the boy began to realize their predicament "You sure?"

He shook his head "That’s e’re here To find out"

"I want to know, too Those men upset my mother, and I don’t like that"

"You afraid?"

"You wouldn’t have brought er"

He liked the answer This lad was smart "You watched two men die Few fifteen-year-olds can claim that You okay?"

"The one Dad shot deserved what he got He tried to taketo do?"

"I’m not sure But a lot of people will be here over the next few days Powerful people From them, I should be able to learn e need to know"

"This like a club or so?"

"You could say that People with siether to discuss those interests"

On the bedside table his cell phone jangled He stepped across and spied the number Jesper He pushed TALK

"A call has coh From Tel Aviv"

"Then by all means let’s hear it"

A few seconds later, after the connection was established, he heard a deep baritone voice say, "Henrik, what have you started?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Don’t play coy When you called yesterday I was suspicious, but now I’ht paranoid"

He’d placed a call yesterday to the Israeli prime minister’s office Since he donated millions to Jewish causes and financed athe current prinored He’d asked one sie Haddad? He’d purposely not talked directly with the prih his chief of staff, as now, he noticed, uneasy So he asked, "Did you find an answer to my question?"

"The Mossad told us to mind our own business"

"Is that how they speak to those in charge?"

"It is when they want us to mind our own business"

"So you have no answer?"

"I didn’t say that They want George Haddad dead and they want Cotton Malone stopped Seems Malone and his ex-wife are presently on their way to Lisbon, and that’s after four people were killed last night west of London at a ly, the Brits know Malone was involved in those killings, but didn’t ht out of the country Our side thinks that’s because the Ahted what he did They think Ae Haddad"

"How do your employees know any of that?"

"They have a direct line to Malone They know exactly where and what he’s doing In addition, they’ve been anticipating this for some time"

"Seems like everyone is busy there"

"To say the least The prime minister and I value your friendship You’re a patron of this nation That’s why you’re getting this call The Mossad is going to take Malone out Agents are on the way to Lisbon If you can warn him, do it"

"I wish that were so, but I have no way"

"Thento need it"

The line clicked dead

He pushed END

"Problerabbed his composure "Just a minor matter with one of my companies I still have a business to run, you know"

The boy seemed to accept the explanation "You said ere here for some kind of club, but you never told me what that has to do with me"

"Actually, that’s an excellent question Let me answer it as alk Come, I’ll show you the estate"

ALFRED HERMANN HEARD THE DOOR TO HENRIK THORVALDSEN’S roo device installed in the bedchaarete sat across from him as he switched off the speaker

"That Dane is a probleh to realize it Clearly Thorvaldsen was here to probe, but he wondered about the phone call His old friend had said little to indicate its nature, and he doubted that it had anything to do with business

"Is he right?" Margarete said "Did you take that boy?"

He’d allowed her to listen for a reason, so he nodded "Part of our plan But we also allowed hi the seeds we planted"

"The library?"

He nodded "We think we have the trail"

"And you plan to entrust Sabre with that information?"

"He’s our eust "Father, he’s a greedy opportunist I’ve told you that for years"

His patience ran out "I didn’t allow you to learn what’s happening so that we could argue I need your help"

He saw that she’d caught the tension in his voice

"Of course I didn’t arete, the world is a complicated place You have to use the resources available Focus Help me deal hat is before us, and let Dominick worry about his part"

She sucked a deep breath and slowly exhaled through clenched teeth, a habit she routinely employed when nervous "What do you want rounds Casually run into Henrik He thinks himself safe here Make him feel that way"

FORTY-FIVE

WASHINGTON, DC

10:30 AM

STEPHANIE DID NOT LIKE HER NEW APPEARANCE HER SILVERBLOND hair was now a light auburn, the result of a quick coloring by Cassiopeia Different lasses coh to help her hide in public

"I haven’t worn Geraldine wool trousers in a long time," she said to Cassiopeia