But Zane also noticed something interesting about the woman’s movements. Although she gave the appearance of being a tourist strolling through the station, he could tell she was very aware of her surroundings. She gave every passing face a subtle look.
Realizing she would soon be out of sight, Zane put his phone away and exited onto the concourse. The woman was still on the other side, about thirty yards away. She was moving more quickly, so he set a fast pace, one that would keep her in sight. If she was as aware of her surroundings as she seemed to be, he didn’t want to draw her attention and get clocked.
A minute later, Zane followed her into a rotunda at the center of the station. Overhead, a mural depicted angels floating through clouds. The space was crowded, forcing Zane to maneuver through the throngs of people moving in every direction. He had assumed the woman would turn right and exit into the parking lot, but instead, she turned left down a narrow corridor. As Zane approached, he saw a sign over the corridor’s entrance. His German wasn’t good, but it was good enough to understand she had entered a locker-rental facility.
That explains why she has no luggage. Her effects had been stowed away while she was on the train. That suggested she had boarded the train briefly, perhaps to look for someone or something. And if that was the case, there was reason to be concerned. After all, the woman had entered the cabin next to Carmen’s sleeper.
So who is she? Is she aligned with the group Carmen’s meeting with? It didn’t seem likely. If she was with that group, she would have been with them. He guessed it was possible she was traveling alone in order to watch the woman they thought was Victoria Lind.
Instead of following the mystery woman into the locker facility, Zane decided to wait for her to retrieve her luggage and emerge again. He stepped behind a vending machine and pretended to scroll through his phone. He didn’t have long to wait. Several minutes later, the woman came out, and this time she was pulling a small wheeled bag. Zane wondered who had put the luggage in the locker, whether it was the woman or someone who was helping her. If the latter, then it meant she was probably working for another organization or a foreign government.
Zane watched her cross the rotunda. When she passed the place where he was standing, he noted her features. His glimpse of her face on the train had been brief, but now he was able to study her more closely. He had seen her somewhere before, he was certain of it. The eyes and the shape of her forehead were distinct, but something about her didn’t fit.
She walked directly toward the exit. Just to be safe, Zane waited until she passed through the revolving glass door. Once she was outside, he crossed the rotunda and exited onto the sidewalk. He scanned the area quickly. Dusk had settled over Lugano, but the parking area was well lighted. A few seconds later, he spotted her. Instead of getting into a car, she had walked through the parking lot and onto the public street beyond. Anxious to keep her in sight, Zane sprinted across the lot and fell in behind her as she turned north. It was a risky move. If she had turned around, she would have seen him running in her direction.
She continued north for two blocks then turned right at the corner and disappeared from sight. Zane sprinted again then slowed as he rounded the corner. He was just in time to see her enter a store along the right side of the street. Instead of following her, he crossed to the other side and entered a newsstand. He pretended to flip through a magazine as he looked at the place the woman had entered — it was a pharmacy. Zane frowned as he studied the lighted interior. Only three people were inside: the clerk and two patrons, none of whom were the woman. He couldn’t see the entire store from the angle at which he watched, so he hoped she was near the back or had stooped behind one of the shelves.
Several minutes later, he felt a tinge of concern. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He could see most of the store, yet the woman wasn’t visible.
Acting on instinct, Zane left the newsstand and crossed the street. When he arrived at the pharmacy, he immediately noticed something he couldn’t have seen from his previous position: the store interior stretched much farther back than he’d expected. There appeared to be another entrance at the far end, an entrance that opened onto another street.
Angry at himself for not following her more closely, Zane entered the store and walked briskly down the center aisle. There was no sign of the woman anywhere. When he arrived at the other end, he pushed through the glass door and stepped out into the street.
As he scanned the area in vain, he realized two things: the woman knew she was being followed, and she had given him the slip.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FOUR BLACK SPORT utility vehicles left the Lugano train station together, snaking along the road like an ebony serpent. Most of the traffic coming out of the station funneled southeast into the heart of Lugano, but the caravan of SUVs turned to the west, eventually making their way toward the forested mountains that flanked the city. About a half hour later, as the road rose sharply, the twinkling lights of Lugano faded into the distance.
Carmen Petrosino sat in the rear of the third vehicle. Two men she didn’t recognize sat in the front. Both wore black leather jackets, and based on the bulges, Carmen knew that both were armed. The two men had been mostly silent throughout the trip, speaking only a few words of broken English when absolutely necessary. Not that Carmen cared. She used the time to monitor their route, noting as many details as she could. She knew that after leaving Lugano, they had traveled west into the mountains. By her reckoning, they had passed through two small village towns: Bioggio and Cademario.
Unfortunately, not everything Markovic had told her was true. It was now clear that Jonas Brehmer didn’t live in Lugano, at least not in the city itself. From a tactical standpoint, Carmen knew that put her in a dangerous situation. She would’ve felt much safer in the heart of the city. If things turned south, it was always easier to slip away into an urban environment of streets, buildings, and vehicles. Not only that, but with each passing mile, she was farther and farther away from the help of her fellow Delphi operatives. She had only one weapon — a small tactical knife hidden in her right boot — which would be little help if something went down.
But she refused to panic. Zane would find the phone she left on the train, and once he did, it would only be a matter of hours before Brett was able to pinpoint the location of Brehmer’s home. She also knew that going to his home gave her the best opportunity to learn more about the man and the mysterious organization he led. That was, after all, the whole reason she had come to Switzerland posing as Victoria Lind.
For now, Carmen had decided to stay off the grid. Her compact and her remaining phone both had GPS tracking, but she wasn’t going to power up either unless absolutely necessary. If she was caught sending out a signal, her cover would be blown, and all would be lost. Zane wouldn’t like it, and Ross would be livid, but she believed she had made the right choice.
When they were about three-quarters of the way up the mountain, the highway wound south around to the other side. Once there, the four SUVs turned right onto a secondary road. Carmen noticed it was dark and desolate, with thick stands of trees rising up on either side. They were far from civilization. The only sign of life was the occasional light of a farmhouse in the valley below.
Ten minutes later, the caravan turned right onto a private road. After pausing briefly at a gatehouse, they wound up the forested slope before finally emerging onto an open plateau. Directly ahead was an expansive lawn with well-manicured hedgerows. Beyond it, Carmen saw what looked like a castle connected to a series of stone buildings. If this was Brehmer’s residence, it was one of the largest she’d ever seen.