I turned back to the documents, trying to force the pieces into a pattern that made sense. Sternberg AG. Ministers Lüthi and Brenner. The Order of Saint Longinus. Soviet connections. Nazi financial networks. It was like trying to assemble a puzzle where half the pieces were missing and the other half were from different boxes entirely.
“You’re going to give yourself a headache,” Will said quietly.
“I already have a headache. I’m trying to give myself answers.”
“Any luck?” the Baroness asked.
“Only more questions.” I tossed down the paper I’d been reading. It was a shipping manifest that told me nothing useful. I rubbed my eyes. “Someone’s spending a lot of money to rebuild something that should have stayed dead. The Order wasn’t exactly a budget operation to begin with, and this—” I gestured at the scattered documents. “This is serious funding, the kind that requires backing few individuals could provide.”
“A state actor?” Will asked. “The Soviets?”
“Maybe. Probably. But why? The Order’s ideology doesn’t even align with Marxist materialism. Religious zealots and atheist revolutionaries make strange bedfellows.”
“Unless they have a common enemy,” the Baroness said, still watching the window. “Think about the West and NATO from their perspective. It is European unity and the American-led alliance that both Moscow and the Order’s remnants wish to see weakened.”
“The enemy of my enemy,” I muttered.
“Precisely.” She turned to face us. “I do not believe the Soviets care about the Order’s religious pretensions. They see useful tools. They seek fanatics who can be aimed at targets, networks that can be exploited, and chaos that can be weaponized. The Order, in turn, sees resources funding, protection, and access. It would be a partnership of convenience, if not conviction.”
“That’s terrifying,” I said.
“Yes.” Her voice was flat. “It is.”
Will reached over and rested his hand on my thigh. I covered his hand with mine and squeezed once before releasing it.
“We need to retrace Aldric’s steps,” I said, forcing my mind back to the problem. “He was investigatingthe Order’s resurgence before he was killed. Whatever he learned, whatever got him murdered, that may be the key.”
“Agreed,” the Baroness said. “But we must tread carefully. Whoever silenced Aldric knew exactly where to find him. And they knew about his correspondence with me. That suggests either surveillance or a source inside my network.”
“A mole?” Will asked.
“I do not know. I do not wish to believe it, but I cannot rule it out.” Her expression darkened. “Until we know more, we should trust no one outside this compartment. Bisch and Otto, they are loyal. I would stake my life on it, but we share information carefully, and we watch for any sign that our movements are being tracked.”
The train began its descent toward Bern, and I watched as spires and rooftops and the gray-green ribbon of the river spread out before us.
It looked peaceful. Orderly. Imminently Swiss.
I didn’t trust that either.
Otto was impossible to miss.
He stood at the platform like a bear in a chauffeur’s uniform, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, with a magnificent white mustache that belonged on a nineteenth-century cavalryofficer or a man about to tie a woman to a train track. He held a hand-lettered sign that read simply: SONGBIRD.
“Subtle,” I murmured to Will.
“I don’t think subtle is in his vocabulary,” Will replied.
“Baroness!” Otto’s voice was deep and warm, heavily accented. “You are too thin. Have you been eating? Of course, you have not been eating. You never eat when you are worried. I will make you Rösti tonight, with extra cheese. You cannot refuse my Rösti.”
“I would not dream of it.” She stepped forward and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. “You look well, my friend.”
“I am ancient and creaking, but I endure.” His bright blue eyes shifted to Will and me, sharp despite the jovial demeanor. “And my American friends. It is good to see you. Have you visited Idaho since your last visit?”
Will nearly spat as he laughed.
“No, I’m afraid not. We’ve been enjoying the hospitality of the French,” I said.
“French. I see.” Otto frowned. “Well, there is nothing to be done for that. You have returned to civilization. We will see you are well cared for.”
