Hummels looked over at the professor, who was eating furiously and nearly finished with his plate. He looked up at their host and nodded vigorously. “It’s true,” he said with a full mouth.
The host’s eyes ran back to Adriana. He thought for a long moment before speaking again, carefully considering his words as well as the situation. “You aren’t here to steal from me.”
“No.”
“It wasn’t a question.” He kept his tone even. “If you were here to steal from me, you wouldn’t tell me you were a thief. Though the ruse about the Rubens was a good play.”
“That part isn’t a ruse. And you’re right, I’m not here to steal from you. But if you doubt my abilities, I’d be happy to give you a free consultation on your system.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell Koenig wanted to ask what she was trying to prove, but Adriana knew exactly what she was doing. Sure, a man like Hummels might help them if they asked nicely, but if she could impress him, they would have an ally who might be willing to go the extra mile if necessary. Adriana wasn’t even sure what that could mean at the moment, but she was always thinking ahead.
Hummels stalled. Her comments obviously made him uncomfortable.
To quell the silence, she spoke up quickly. “I’m sure you’ve had many top-level professionals come through and inspect your systems. I have no doubts these consultations were thorough. My only question is: Have they ever been examined by a real thief?”
“No, of course not. I mean, I’ve heard of companies who charge exorbitant amounts of money for such a thing, but I had no intentions of paying that.”
Her head twisted to the left, and she passed him a smirk. “Well, you don’t have to pay me. I’d be happy to test it out. And I promise I won’t take anything. Watch me the entire time.”
He still hesitated.
“Oh come on,” she prodded. “You were going to show us the gallery anyway. Might as well let me have a look at what’s protecting it.”
Hummels reached out and grabbed a wine glass. He swirled the red wine around for a few seconds before putting his hand over it. Next, he put the opening of the glass to his nose and drew in a short then deep sniff before sipping it.
“An excellent wine, this. I must admit that I am no expert when it comes to wine.”
She thought he may still be debating whether to let her see his security system but waited patiently to find out if his wine talk was going anywhere.
The host took another sip and smacked his lips together. “It took someone who is an expert to teach me things about wine that I did not know before. Of course, I trusted them.” He paused and stared into the crimson liquid. “The question is: Can I trust you?”
“Friedrich, you only just met us an hour ago. My advice to you would be to stay on your guard with any stranger who shows up on your doorstep, especially when that stranger is able to take down some of your highly trained guards. But if I were here to rob you, I wouldn’t be having dinner with you. And if I wanted to harm you, I would have already done so.”
An awkward silence descended on the table. Koenig was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation and, if given the chance, would have probably bolted for the car.
“I like your style,” Hummels said after what seemed like an eternity of consideration. “You’re brash and honest. True, I shouldn’t trust you. But what kind of thief would tell me they’re a thief?” He clapped his hands together and smiled. “Very well, I will give you a chance to beat my system. If you do, I would love to hear your suggestions as to how I could improve it.”
“Of course,” she said and took another sip of water.
Koenig looked beyond relieved and started in on another plate of food.
“After we eat, I will take you to the lower level and let you see what I have. For now, let us enjoy this meal, conversation, and delightful evening. Good?”
“Certainly.”
“Perfect.” He took another bite of potato and chewed it happily. “I am wondering, though, about what you mentioned at the gate regarding the Rubens painting. That was no ruse, was it?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head briefly. “It is true.”
He looked impressed. “So tell me, how it is you came to find this clue you mentioned and how it involved my father. Oh, and I am curious what you will do with it if you find it.”
Adriana relayed the story about how her father had been abducted in Lebanon and the demands that were made of her. She felt as if she’d told the story a hundred times already, but to gain the man’s trust, Adriana knew total honesty was crucial.
When she finished, she took the last few bites from her plate and then leaned back in the chair. The sun was dipping over the mountains in the west, lighting up the sky with a spectacular sunset of pinks, oranges, lavenders, and yellows. A single trail of white smoke traced through the otherwise clear sky, left by a plane traveling high above the Alps.
“Well,” Hummels said after taking in the story, “that is quite the tale.” His face expressed genuine concern. “And you have no idea who took him?”
She swallowed. Her eyes looked down to the table and then back up at her host. “I’m not sure. From what I know, he’s Belgian. I’ve not received much more information than that.”
Hummels thought for a second and then put his fist to his mouth, scratching the edge of his lips with the thumb. His eyes glazed over as he considered what his guest had said.
“I’ve heard of a syndicate of wealthy businessmen,” he began. “They do this sort of thing, at least that’s the rumor. They use people like pawns in deadly games. Almost always, it’s for a priceless prize of some kind. The people they use are sent on nearly impossible missions, a gauntlet of tasks that often kills one or both of the contestants. It’s barbaric.”
Adriana leaned forward again and put her elbows on the table. “You’ve heard about this?”
He snorted. “Heard? Yes, I’ve heard. Not until a few years ago, though. To get into that club, you must be extremely wealthy.”
“And you’re not?” Koenig chimed in after a long bout of silence. His question could have come off as insulting, but Hummels smiled at it.
“Oh, I am quite fortunate. I have a vast amount of wealth. My life is financially secure. But the men who are a part of this syndicate, they are much richer than I. Their fortunes make my money look like poverty.”
Adriana tried to steer them back onto the subject. “If you don’t have enough money to be a part of it, how is it you came by this information?”
His eyes darted back and forth as if he was worried someone else was listening in. “I am not supposed to talk about this. I don’t know why I’m telling you about it now other than I am usually a good judge of character. There is something I like about you. You’re honest. That is rare in this world.” He looked out into the forest and then back to his guests. “I have a business associate who is a part of that group. Typically, the magic number one must have in assets is one billion. I have nowhere near that amount of money. My associate, however, does.
“One night, when we were out discussing some business, he drank far too much beer and began bragging about his money. Before I knew it, he was spouting off about this syndicate and the different games they played with each other, betting on human beings to accomplish almost impossible tasks for them.”
Adriana listened intently. When Hummels stopped speaking, she took her turn. “What is this associate’s name?”
Hummels looked down. A despondent look crept over his face. “He’s dead. His family found him hanging from the front balcony of their home. There was a typed suicide note in the bedroom. It claimed he couldn’t deal with the pressures of life anymore. But I know that secret group of billionaires killed him. There was no trace of foul play. Whoever they paid to commit the murder was very thorough. No suspects were ever called in other than the wife. Eventually, the whole thing went away, marked in the papers as a tragic suicide. But I know the truth. They killed him.”