«No!» roared the doctor, slamming his fist on the coffee table. «Tell Holcroft anything you like, but I’m going with you tonight. That bitch is responsible for this!»
«I’d say you were,» said Von Tiebolt. «There was a job to do and you wanted to do it. You were most anxious. You always are in such matters; you’re a very physical man.»
«He wouldn’t die! That faggot wouldn’t die!» Hans yelled. «He had the strength of five lions. Look at my stomach!» He ripped the shirt below his face, revealing a curving pattern of crisscrossed black threads. «He tore it with his hands! With his hands!»
Erich Kessler turned his eyes from his brother’s wound. «You were lucky to get away without being seen. And now we must get you out of this hotel. The police are questioning everyone.»
«They won’t come here,» countered Hans angrily. «Our deputy’s taken care of that.»
«Nevertheless, one curious policeman walking through the door could lead to complications,» Von Tiebolt said, looking at Erich. «Hans must go. Dark glasses, a muffler, his hat. The deputy’s in the lobby.» The blond man shifted his gaze to the wounded brother. «If you can move, you’ll have your chance at the Holcroft woman. That may make you feel better.»
«I can move,» said Hans, his face contorted in pain.
Johann turned back to the older Kessler. «You’ll stay here, Erich. Holcroft will start calling soon, but he won’t identify himself until he recognizes your voice. Be solicitons; be concerned. Say I reached you in Berlin and asked you to get here early, that I tried to call him in Paris, but he’d gone. Then tell him that we’re both shocked at what happened here this afternoon. The man who was killed had been asking about him; we’re both concerned for his safety. He must not be seen at the d’Accord.»
«I could say that someone fitting his description was seen leaving by the service entrance,» added the scholar. «He was in a state of shock; he’ll accept that. It will add to his panic.»
«Excellent. Meet him and take him to the Excelsior. Register under the name of»—the blond man thought for a moment—«under the name of Fresca. If he has any lingering doubts, that will convince him. He never used the name with you; he’ll know we’ve met and talked.»
«Fine,» said Erich. «And at the Excelsior, I’ll explain that because of everything that’s happened, you reached the bank’s directors and set up the conference for tomorrow morning. The quicker it’s over, the quicker we can get to Zurich and set up proper security measures.»
«Excellent again, Herr Professor. Come, Hans,» Von Tiebolt said, «I’ll help you.»
«It’s not necessary,» said the bull of Munich’s district soccer, his expression belying his words. «Just get my bag.»
«Of course.» Von Tiebolt picked up the physician’s leather case. «I’m fascinated. You must tell me what you intend to inject. Remember, we want a death, but not a killing.»
«Don’t worry,» Hans said. «Everything’s clearly coded. There’ll be no mistakes.»
«After our meeting with the Holcroft woman,» said Von Tiebolt, draping an overcoat over Hans’s shoulders, «we’ll decide where Hans should stay tonight. Perhaps at the deputy’s house.»
«Good idea,» agreed the scholar. «The doctor would be available.»
«I don’t need him,» argued Hans, his breath escaping between clenched teeth, his walk hesitant and painful. «I could have sewn myself up; he’s not very good. Auf wiedersehen, Erich.»
«Auf wiedersehen.»
Von Tiebolt opened the door, looked back at Erich, and escorted the wounded Hans out into the corridor. «You say each vial is coded?»
«Yes. For the woman, the serum will accelerate her heart to the point …»
The door closed. The older Kessler shifted his bulk in the chair. It was the way of Wolfsschanze; there was no other decision. The physician who had tended Hans made it clear that there was internal bleeding; the organs had been severely damaged, as if torn by claws possessing extraordinary strength. Unless Hans were taken to the hospital, he could easily die. But his brother could not be admitted to a hospital; questions would be asked. A man had been killed that afternoon at the d’Accord; the wounded patient had been at the d’Accord. Too many questions. Besides, Hans’s contributions were in the black leather case Johann carried. The Tinamou would learn everything they had to know. Hans Kessler, Sonnenkind, was no longer needed; he was a liability.
The telephone rang. Kessler picked it up.
«Erich?»
It was Holcroft.
«Yes?»
«I’m in Geneva. You got here early; I thought I’d try.»
«Yes, Von Tiebolt called me this morning in Berlin; he tried to reach you in Paris. He suggested—»
«Has he arrived?» interrupted the American.
«Yes. He’s out making the final arrangements for tomorrow. We’ve got a great deal to tell you.»
«And I’ve got a great deal to tell you,» said Holcroft. «Do you know what’s happened?»
«Yes, it’s horrible.» Where was the panic? Where was the anxiety of a man stretched to the limit of his capacities? The voice on the phone was not that of someone drowning, grasping for a lifeline. «He was a friend of yours. They say he asked for you.»
There was a pause. «He asked for my mother.»
«I didn’t understand. We know only that he used the name Holcroft.»
«What does Nach … Nach-rich… I can’t pronounce it.»
«‘Nachrichtendienst’?»
«Yes. What does it mean?»
Kessler was startled. The American was in control of himself; it was not to be expected. «What can I tell you? It’s Geneva’s enemy.»
«That’s what Von Tiebolt found out in London?»
«Yes. Where are you, Noel? I must see you, but you can’t come here.»
«I know that. Listen to me. Do you have money?»
«Some.»
«A thousand Swiss francs?»
«A thousand?… Yes, I imagine so.»
«Go downstairs to the front desk and talk to the desk clerk privately. Get his name and give him the money. Tell him it’s for me and that I’ll be calling him in a few minutes.»
«But how—»
«Let me finish. After you pay and get his name, go to the pay telephones near the elevators. Stand by the one on the left toward the entrance. When it rings, pick it up. It’ll be me.»
«How do you know the number?»
«I paid someone to go inside and get it.»
This was not a man in panic. It was a rational man with a deadly purpose… It was what Erich Kessler had feared. But for the arrangement of genes—and a headstrong woman—the man on the phone might be one of them. A Sonnenkind.
«What will you say to the clerk?»
«I’ll tell you later; there’s no time now. How long will it take you?»
«I don’t know. Not long.»
«Ten minutes?»
«Yes, I think so. But Noel, perhaps we should wait until Johann returns.»
«When’s that?»
«No more than an hour or two.»
«Can’t do it. I’ll call you in the lobby in ten minutes. My watch says eight-forty-five. How about yours?»
«The same.» Kessler did not bother to look at his watch; his mind was racing. Holcroft’s spine was too dangerously firm. «I really think we should wait.»
«I can’t. They killed him. God! How they killed him! They want her, but they won’t find her.»
«Her? Your mother?… Von Tiebolt told me.»
«They won’t find her,» repeated Holcroft. «They’ll find me; I’m who they really want. And I want them. I’m going to trap them, Erich.»