The analyst had provided much of the information Bronsky had fed to Wilfred Thomas during the original pursuit of Dame Felicity.
“What do you want?” Pryce asked.
“Nothing too difficult for a man in your position. I simply want you to tell me if the head of your organization is really dead or not.”
“As far as I know, she’s dead.”
“ ‘As far as I know’ is not good enough. I want the truth.”
“But—”
“I’ll be in touch,” Bronsky said, then hung up.
Now, he needed to get out of Hungary. He scrolled through a list of safe houses he knew about, until he found one where he thought he could stay several days without being discovered.
It had been a while since he’d been in Helsinki, and at least it wasn’t the middle of winter.
Chapter 12
On Wednesday afternoon, Joan steppedinto Stone’s office. “Oliver Humphrey has arrived.”
“Thank you, Joan,” Stone said. “Please show him in.”
A moment later, the president of Oliver Humphrey College entered, dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and dark blue tie.
Stone stood and extended his hand.
“Mr. Humphrey, thank you for coming,” Stone said as they exchanged formalities.
Humphrey nodded solemnly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, though I wish it were under different circumstances.”
“As do I.” Stone motioned at the four chairs set up in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”
Before Humphrey could do so, Joan stepped in again. “Aaron Sidney and Ryan Sidney.”
Trenton’s sons entered. Ryan had the sunken look of someone still processing his grief. Aaron, on the other hand, looked like he was in a hurry to get this over with so he could move on to other things.
Stone came around the desk and greeted each, then gestured to his first guest. “Have you met Oliver Humphrey?”
“At the funeral,” Humphrey said, then shook the brothers’hands. “Again, my condolences, gentlemen. Your father was a great man.”
Aaron barely acknowledged the comment while Ryan looked to be holding back tears as he said, “Thank you.”
“Please, have a seat,” Stone said.
Aaron and Humphrey took the two middle chairs, and Ryan the one on the end next to his brother.
“So, we’re here,” Aaron said. “Can we get this going?”
“We’re still waiting for someone,” Stone said.
Aaron grimaced. “Right. Themysteriousunnamed beneficiary.”
“I promise you. She has a name.”
“She? Dear God. Don’t tell me my father is leaving a part of his estate to some gold-digging mistress.”
“If he were, that would be his prerogative. But that’s not the case.”
