“Well, I thank you for the wonderful dinner and the tour of your lovely home,” she said. “I really must get back to my investigation.”
As she stood up, Dufort stood with her and dropped his handkerchief onto the table. “I do wish you could stay longer, but I understand.” He stepped around the table and took her hand in his, shaking it gently. “I want you to know that I’ve been thinking about your situation, and I believe there might be someone who can help you find what you’re looking for. Keep in mind I don’t know him personally. I only know him by name.”
He picked up a pen Baston had left on the dining table next to a plain white business card. Emily had noticed the objects and thought they were a little out of place on a dinner table, but didn’t say anything about it, thinking there must have been a reason for it. Now she understood as Dufort leaned over and scribbled a name onto the card. When he’d finished writing, he laid the pen back on the table and motioned toward the door. “Allow me to show you to the door.”
For an evil man, he certainly was capable of showing immaculate manners. A trait she rarely saw in people of his ilk.
Emily led the way to the front door with Dufort close behind, his presence in her blind spot weighed like a ten-ton brick on her back. She learned a long time ago to never turn her back to an enemy, especially one as cunning as Dufort. But she reminded herself that her team would break down the doors if she didn’t get back in the next thirty minutes.
She reached the door and was more than a little relieved when Dufort stuck out his hand and turned the doorknob for her, letting in the cool, damp city air. Outside, pedestrians still scurried about with their folded umbrellas in hand or tucked under armpits. Cars jammed the streets with people trying to get home from a day’s work. Daylight waned, and dusk fast approached with an overwhelming sky of gray.
“It was a pleasure,” Dufort said, bidding Emily goodbye.
“For me as well. Thank you again.”
The Frenchman’s teeth shone brightly as he exaggerated his smile, waving with one hand. The door closed heavily, causing Emily to shudder for a moment. She took a long, deep breath and spun around. Her eyes ran a quick survey of the area, another old habit. She knew her unit was watching from a window, a cafe table under an awning, and at least one other position.
Emily let out the breath in a languished sigh. She was relieved to be out of the mansion, but frustrated that her visit had revealed nothing. Her hand instinctively started to crumble up the business card that Dufort had given her. She doubted he would willingly give up the name of someone who could help with a fictitious arms deal. Then she stopped herself and decided to look at what he’d written down.
She unfolded the wrinkles and stared at the name on the card. A chill snaked its way down her spine all the way to her toes. Not much unnerved Emily. It was part of being a top-level government asset. The name on the card, however, took apart every piece of training and experience she’d ever gone through.
It was the surname of the missing Axis agent.
Chapter 30
Sean woke up in a sweat. Adriana was standing over him, looking down with a concerned expression. “Are you all right, Sean?”
He took a few deep breaths and nodded, rubbing his eyes with both hands. “Where are we?”
“We’re at the hotel in Copenhagen. You had a nightmare.”
He pulled down the sheets to get a little more air on his skin. “I did?” he asked, more to himself than to her. “I did, didn’t I?”
Sean hadn’t experienced many nightmares during the course of his life. It was something that happened to people who had regrets, or who actually got a good night’s sleep most of the time. Usually, Sean was a light sleeper and didn’t get more than four to six hours on a given evening.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Adriana asked again. “Would you like some water?”
She held out a bottle to him, which he took gratefully. “Thanks.” He removed the cap and gulped down half of the contents, then set the bottle on the nightstand. “I never get nightmares. That’s the second one I’ve had in the last week.”
Adriana sat down next to him and put her arm around his shoulder. She’d already got dressed and ready for the day’s mission, her hair pinned up in a bun. “Tell me about it.”
He shook his head slowly. “I wish I could. I can’t really remember much. Just random things, I guess. But most of them were bad.”
“Did it involve anyone you know?”
He had to think about it for a minute before answering. “I don’t think so. It was just random faces, strangers I’ve never met before in my life.”
Adriana took a long breath and sighed. “I wish there was something I could do to help. Psychology was your strong suit, remember?” She passed him a caring smile and kissed him on the neck. “Maybe you should take a hot shower and get dressed. Tommy will be waiting for us in the lobby in forty minutes. That should give you some time to get your wits back.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”
Forty-five minutes later, Sean gripped his coat tight around his torso as they left the Christiangade Hotel. Adriana hadn’t mentioned the nightmare again, for which he was grateful. He’d been taught to put those kinds of things aside and get the job done. It wasn’t just part of his training. It was just what he did.
The city on the coast was typically not extremely frigid. It experienced its fair share of snow, but due to the location between the sound and another section of open sea, the climate was fairly mild compared to some of the other Scandinavian regions. Today, however, was one of the exceptions. The temperature was in the low forties, but with the breeze it felt significantly colder. At least the sun was out, shining brightly from a nearly cloudless sky, desperately trying to warm the city and its occupants. They’d packed enough warm clothes just in case the weather acted up, a fortunate bit of planning Sean had suggested having been to Copenhagen several times throughout his career.
On the streets, the three companions were surprised to see people pedaling about on their bicycles, seemingly invulnerable to the cold. Copenhagen’s citizens were famous for their love of using bicycles as their primary means of transportation. Wide lanes specifically for biking occupied a significant portion of the city’s roads.
They rounded a corner and stepped out onto the main square adjacent to the main train station. Hundreds more parked bicycles rested outside the train station’s red brick walls. The dramatic, arching white window frames dotted the sides of the structure underneath sloping, angled slate roofs. The main entrance ahead featured a large antechamber with a steeper, pyramid-shaped roof surrounded by four steeples and topped with a fifth. Across the massive plaza, the internationally known Bank of Copenhagen was positioned in the financial hub of the city. A large sign hung from the building across the street proclaiming Carlsberg beer to possibly be the best beer on the planet.
Tommy pulled a hat down over his ears in an attempt to keep them warm as they walked toward the train station’s entrance. Adriana, on the other hand, seemed unaffected as usual. If she was cold, she didn’t let on. Her black leather jacket appeared to be too thin to keep her comfortable. Instead of mentioning her lack of layers, Tommy asked about something else. “You know I usually don’t question your plans, Sean.”
Sean fired a sideways glance at him that would have melted the polar icecaps. “You always question my plans.”
“No I…well, not always. Maybe usually. Whatever. Look, I just think it’s a little crazy for us to hop on a train and head all the way to Helsingor when we don’t even know what we’re looking for or where to find it.”