Dieter and Theo
Dieter Schwarz
I haven’t had time to install my favorite tracking app
Phind-A-Phone
on Flicka’s new mobile.
It was almost like she was hiding it from me so I couldn’t.
As soon as the plane touched down, Dieter called a ride-sharing service and ran errands. His first stop was to a bank, where he opened a checking account in the name of Dieter Schwarz—becausesurely yet another bank account in this town under that name wouldn’t be suspect—and texted the routing and account numbers to his tame hacker at Rogue Security, Blaise Lyon. Blaise texted back that it would take a few days to make sure they had enough firewalls in place, but he could get money to them within a week.
Excellent.Flicka’s tiara pawn money would last that long, and then they couldretrieve it and be all right to go to ground for six weeks or so until the divorce was final.
One errand down, two to go.
Dieter walked into the county attorney’s office in the downtown office building. He said to the receptionist, “I have a one-thirty appointment with Mr. Theo Bonfils.”
The admin typed something on the computer. “He’s on his way.”
The security checkpoint had X-rayed Dieter’sduffel bag that still hung over his shoulder, and the police officer manning the scanner had looked up at Dieter with one of her sleek eyebrows raised, evidently seeing the plush bear inside.
As he had only a pink, stuffed bear but no firearms or explosives, they let him through to see the county attorney.
Theophile Bonfils had been one of Wulfram’s attorneys for his marriage to Rae Stone because,to marry in Paris, certain residency and legal obligations must be met, much like divorcing in Nevada. Wulfram had taken a squad of lawyers with him to ensure that the wedding came off without a hitch.
Theo was auburn-haired and brown-eyed, and he stuck half his body around a corner to motion at Dieter. “Hey! Come on back.”
That angle, with Theo’s torso flopped around the barrier that mighthave shielded him, left his heart and lungs vulnerable to a gunshot.
Dieter shook his head at the lack of apparent common sense and situational awareness. No wonder Theo had taken a round to the stomach when the shooting had started in Paris over four months before. “Right behind you.”
Theo waited, still swinging around the corner, exposed.
The sooner Theo backed around that corner, the better.Even with the security checkpoint scanning for firearms, you couldn’t be too careful. “Go on. I’m coming.”
Dieter followed Theo through the prairie-dog warrens of cubicle farms back to his office.
Admins and junior attorneys chatted on phones and rattled keyboards, a chaotic bluster of sound that would cover running footsteps or the clack of a rifle chambering a round until it was too late.
Theo’s gait was off, Dieter noticed. He was limping, and he held his left arm close to his ribs.
Dieter had seen some of his best friends take a bullet when he was a commando in the Swiss Army’s elite special forces unit, ARD-10. With Theo’s slight limp and the way he was favoring his left side, Dieter could diagnose that he was healing well but not ready for active duty yet. If Dieter had beenhis commanding officer, he would have benched Theo rather than allow his reduced state to jeopardize an operation.
Flying a desk as a prosecuting lawyer was probably less physically demanding than breaking and entering, Dieter supposed. “How are you feeling?”
Theo looked back at him with one eyebrow up, but then he chuckled. “Ah yes, you were there. You jumped on Wulf von Hannover while someoneshot me. Better, I’m doing better. The doctors say I can start boxing next month.”
“Boxing can be tough during a recovery.”
Theo shrugged and spread his right arm at a glass-enclosed office. “Let’s discuss this in private.”
Dieter walked into the office in front of Theo, even though the back of his neck prickled as Theo’s footsteps rustled on the carpet and the door clicked closed.
He satin one of the chairs in front of the desk while Theo opened and retracted clattering vertical blinds that lined the transparent walls. Theo said, “I hate this office. Everyone can tell when I’m playing blackjack on the computer, but we’ll talk in here.”
Dieter nodded. He dropped the light duffel bag on the floor beside his feet. The transparent walls behind his back made his spine crawl withspiders.
