“Where have you guys been?” she asked pointedly. “I’ve been trying to call you and Sean for the last ten minutes.”
“We were on bicycles,” he said bluntly.
“Bicycles? No wonder you sound out of breath.”
“Well, I had a run thrown in there at the last minute.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, well, sort of. We went through the city, trying to throw off some guys that were tailing us. Now I’m on the train to Helsingor.”
“Oh good. So you made it okay?” She sounded genuinely concerned.
Tommy pondered how much to tell her. “Not really. Sean and Adriana were caught. We decided to split up to make ourselves less visible. I guess they were spotted. I know how Adriana was caught. I’m guessing Sean was ambushed.”
There was a momentary pause from her end. “I’m so sorry. I wish I knew what to say.”
“It’s okay,” Tommy blew it off. “I’m working on it.” Really, it wasn’t okay. It was far from okay. “I’ll figure something out.” Then something occurred to him. “Hey, what were you trying to call us for?”
“Well, I don’t know if it helps now, but Alex and I found something else in the book. It’s a set of numbers and letters. We didn’t notice it early on because they were written in such small text it was hard to see. Plus we were so focused on the main text of the book that it was easy to miss the one character notations in the corners.”
Tommy raised his eyebrows. Keeping the phone to his ear, he leaned around the edge of the seat and looked back to make sure no one was listening, or approaching. He checked forward for the same thing. The woman in the wool hat two rows in front of him seemed to be paying no attention. Four rows up, a blonde-haired mother struggled to keep her two children calm.
“What do the characters mean?” he asked, satisfied no one was aware of his even being there.
“This time it was much easier to figure out since they were in order, though we don’t quite know what the letters mean. The numbers come out to two thousand, and the letters ft and sw come after.”
Tommy frowned. “Two thousand feet?”
“That’s what we thought too, but we aren’t sure what the s and w mean. Could be anything.”
Tommy’s breathing had begun to slow, and he refocused his energy on the riddle. “We need to think of it in the context of Kronborg Castle. What could it mean?”
Tara was silent for a minute and then said, “It could be a room in the castle. Maybe a room that measures two thousand square feet?”
“That could be. But which room? And it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to go through the entire castle and measure how many feet all the rooms are. That could take days, even weeks.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s a pretty big castle too.” She sounded disappointed for even having suggested it.
“Pull up a map of the castle grounds. I’m assuming you’re at a computer.”
“Almost always,” she said, hinting at her lack of a life. He could hear the keys clicking away as her fingers flew across the keyboard.
“Osterbro,” the announcer said over the speakers, indicating the next train stop.
“What was that?” Tara asked, stopping for a second.
“Just the train conductor. We’re coming up on another stop. You got an image yet?”
“Yeah. I’ve got it. Want me to send you the pic?”
“Sure. Notice anything strange about the layout?”
He waited while Tara looked over the image on her computer screen. “Not really. It’s a fairly standard design for that era. Castle built within a classic four-star-shaped fortress wall. Looks a lot like a giant throwing star. You know, like ninjas use. There’s a moat around the interior wall of the fortress. Other than that, I can’t really tell if there’s anything that would signify those two letters.”
The train eased to a stop, and the doors behind Tommy opened. Two bearded, blond men entered the train and made their way to the two seats in front of him. A moment later the doors closed, and the train resumed its course.
“That castle is on an easterly peninsula, right?” Tommy asked just above a whisper now. Even though the men in front of him were probably no threat, he’d prefer safe than sorry.
“Yep. Sticks out right into the sea. The king that built this place sure knew how to pick a great spot.”
He thought about what she’d said regarding the wall. “You said an interior wall. That means there’s an exterior wall as well?”
“Correct. The castle was built within a four-star wall, and that was built within a much larger array of battlements. The thing covers the entire island.”
The information gave Tommy and idea. “Okay. I’ll take a look at that image and get back to you. Thanks, Tara.”
“No problem. Stay safe. And please be careful. Those guys sound dangerous.”
“Danger is part of the job, Tara,” he said and immediately regretted how cheesy it sounded. “Talk to you soon,” he added quickly and ended the call.
He slipped the phone back in his pocket and stared out the window at the city rooftops passing by. His mind was racing now. Tommy believed he knew where he would find the next clue.
Chapter 33
Emily knew why Dufort had written down the name of her agent on that business card. He was sending her a message. He wanted her to know that he had the American agent, and that Emily’s little scheme to check out the residence didn’t bother him at all. It was also his way of telling her that he believed himself to be untouchable. The entire story about the nuclear arms deal and everything involved with it was for naught.
There was a bigger problem at play. Emily had hoped that by gaining entry to the mansion, she would be able to find a clue as to where her agent was, as well as the other women Dufort had kidnapped. If he so easily opened his doors to an authority such as herself, that could mean only one thing. Dufort had moved the girls.
She plopped down on the firm sofa placed against the wall in the hotel suite. Four other Axis agents stared at her, wondering what they needed to do next. They expected orders. Emily was their leader. She’d been the director of Axis for more than four years now. Nothing was ever easy when it came to assassinations, gathering intelligence, or counterespionage. Every single day at the job required her to be at the top of her game and see every possible angle. Now, she wasn’t sure she was seeing them all. What she did see was the reasons piling up as to why her best, Sean Wyatt, had retired nearly three years ago.
The agents in the room, two men and two women, all under the age of thirty-two, needed answers. She remembered what her predecessor would have done. He was bolder than her, a relic from a time when things were black and white. It was the West against the Communists. Lines were drawn, everyone knew the rules, and everyone knew how to bend or break them. Now, things were so much blurrier.
Emily drew in a breath and started speaking. “Ellington, you had eyes on the house for the last two weeks. Any reports of any vehicles leaving, deliveries made, or any kind of movement that was out of the ordinary?”
“Nothing I haven’t told you about, boss,” the young black man with short hair and sad brown eyes answered. His Brooklyn accent was unmistakable. He sat atop a bar stool next to the other male agent, this one with dirty-blond hair that reminded Emily too much of Sean. Normally, she wouldn’t have referred to them by their real names. They all had a number. She was Number 1. The kid from Brooklyn was Number 10. “This guy Dufort has cars coming through the driveway at all hours of the day. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with who’s coming and going, and why.”
“But you saw nothing of note? Any larger vehicles?”