"I've had assholes like that for bosses. They're so caught up in their own little world they won't take the time to see what you're doing. Fucking bureaucrats."
Herb laughed. "What exactly do we need to do now? I mean, how do the Hungarians fit into this?"
"Well, I have a theory. Remember I've been driving all night. I've had a lot of time to think about this. I believe that Carlson has been pulling the puppet strings all along both here and in Italy. He set up Johnson to transfer the technology to Gunter and Bundenbach Electronics. At the same time, he set up Burt Simpson and his guys aboard the USS Roosevelt to drop off the same stuff to Jason Dalton. Simpson gave me Dalton's name but didn't mention Steve Carlson. I didn't push him as far as I could have, though."
"Why is Carlson here?"
"That bothered me for quite awhile. Carlson couldn't risk carrying the chips and all the technical information into Germany without getting caught. He needed a way to isolate himself from the entire process. So he had the U.S. Air Force fly everything into Bitburg Air Base. Customs doesn't check military supply planes. Besides, that equipment was part of an approved retrofit. It was NATO restricted, but as long as the technology didn't get into German hands, no problem."
"But why come now?" Herb asked.
Jake pointed at Herb. "Because Gunter fucked up. Gunter found out that Johnson was selling out to the Hungarians, right?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Well, Gunter jumped the gun a bit. He was only supposed to rough him up a bit to get the information. But Gunter is a sick son of a bitch. He doesn't like someone taking advantage of him. So he does in Johnson. The problem is, Johnson hasn't sold everything that Bundenbach needs to make their super transputer."
"So then Carlson is stuck. He can't start over from scratch. He has to come here himself."
"Exactly. Also, when I started working the case, we cut off Johnson's supply chain. So Carlson couldn't even send the information by military channels and pick it up once he got here. He had to carry whatever was left personally. Teredata had shut him down. Carlson tried to get me off the case before I was even hired."
"Wasn't Carlson afraid you'd see him with Gunter?"
"I told Milt Swenson I was going to Italy. He must have told Carlson. But they didn't know about my ace in the hole."
"What?" Herb looked confused.
"You! Carlson didn't know you were here on the case."
"What's keeping Gunter from killing Carlson after Bundenbach gets the last bit of information?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure he hasn't left himself open for that."
"His ace in the hole?" Herb smiled.
He seemed more comfortable now. Almost relaxed.
"This shit is getting crazy." Jake rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I pulled over at an Autobahn stop in Switzerland for about two hours. Definitely not enough sleep. When I get back to Oregon, I'm going to sleep for a week."
Freezing rain pelted the windshield and started to pile up on the wipers. Jake just watched. The weather would be a problem, he thought.
"We had a little problem in Italy just before I left," Jake said solemnly.
Herb was silent.
"At least four Hungarians tried to hit Toni's apartment. I had to leave in a hurry, without finding out who they were really after, and why. I could only speculate."
"You couldn't ask a few questions?" Herb asked.
"No. They weren't able to talk."
"Ah…."
"Unfortunately one of them got away. I don't know why they would want Toni or Kurt killed. I assume they were getting too close to Dalton, and he ordered it. Maybe not though."
They both sat in silence. The rhythmic sound of rain on the roof fluctuated from time to time as gusts of wind intensified and then became calm again. Bundenbach looked abandoned-nobody in sight. The rain must have kept only the hardy from coming and going, Jake thought.
"I missed having the company while you were gone," Herb said. "I'm sorry about your friend, Walt. I should have been able to help him. I really blew it."
Jake faced Herb. "Even if you could have gotten to him, Gunter wouldn't have made it easy for you. His two men are heavily armed at all times. Numbers tend to enhance effectiveness. I got lucky. They had me cold. I could have been back in some Oregon deep freeze."
"But…"
"Forget it!" Jake said, becoming angry. "We can't dwell on what's passed. We have to look forward and get these bastards. It's more than just the technology transfer now. Gunter has gone too far. The Hungarians have gone too far. Carlson has gone too far. These fuckers have pissed me off for the last time."
Jake knew that getting angry was counterproductive. Yet, he needed his anger. His senses became more sharp; more aware of his surroundings. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe he knew that Gunter wouldn't give up Carlson's last bit of information without a fight.
"You know, Herb, if Bundenbach can produce this super transputer, and a mini version for personal computing, it will completely change the world computer market? They'll have a corner on the market. It could take other companies years to recover, if ever."
"It's that important?" Herb asked.
"I'm afraid so. I'm assuming that Carlson has held out the most important information until the end. Probably some hidden factor that makes the chip so fast. It could be as simple as a chemical formula or special metal relay. I don't know. Anything. But whatever it is, Carlson is probably in there right now explaining its function and effect." Jake pointed toward the Bundenbach headquarters.
"But I still don't understand the Hungarian plan," Herb said.
Jake rubbed his eyes and shook his head to try to wake up. "I don't know for sure. Simpson gave me some information. About as much as he really knew. After all, he was only a middle man. Carlson is an insecure guy. He doesn't totally trust anyone. The Germans are no exception. He figures if the Germans hose him over, he'll have a backup plan."
"So he hires Dalton and Simpson to set up the Hungarian connection?" Herb asked.
Jake thought for a second. "Sort of. You see, Carlson didn't know that Johnson was also selling out to the Hungarians. I think Carlson wanted some other relationship with the Hungarians."
"Like what?"
"Dalton works for the U.S. Commerce Department. He's privy to some pretty sensitive economic information. Maybe Dalton was giving the Hungarians more than just computer technology. He might have been handing over economic forecasts and U.S. strategic economic plans for Europe, based on the new Euro currency."
"What good would that do for the Hungarians?"
"It could do a lot. If the Hungarians not only have the technology to produce a fast computer, but also the marketing strategy to go with it, the Hungarians could have a winning combination. They could be in a position to produce a computer, with cheap labor costs, and market it throughout Western Europe and eventually Eastern Europe. That would put them at a distinct advantage to exploit those markets."
Jake covered his face with his hands and stroked his hair. He knew that what he had just told Herb was close enough to the truth to be scary. If he was right, and he was pretty sure of that, then corporations had started to go too far. Killing people for secrets. Bombing people to keep them quiet. Where would it end? How far would they go to succeed? Carlson had gone too far. Bundenbach had gone too far. The Hungarians had gone too far. And Jake knew that only he and Herb could help reverse what had been set in motion.
Jake looked at his watch.
"We have to move!" Herb said anxiously.
Jake checked his watch one last time. "Let's go."
They got out of the car into the bitter wind and rain. Drops of rain driven by the heavy wind prickled the back of Jake's neck like tiny needles. He flipped up the collar on his jacket. They shuffled quickly toward the entrance to Bundenbach Electronics.