The hike up the side of the steep path helped his concentration. Half an hour away from Skopje, Lake Matka was the perfect spot for a private meeting during the week, when visitors were few. And if an accidental death did occur, it wouldn’t make the news as one might if it happened in Skopje, where the international media was starting to gather.
The old monastery was deserted at this hour. He turned left, and then another left, heading toward the furthest window, which was so old and stained, one couldn’t look outside. He sat on the bench under the old tapestry, waiting in the shadows.
Fifteen minutes passed before he heard footsteps. He’d begun to wonder whether anyone would show up. Sometimes they didn’t come. Sometimes they ran away. He sat, waited, and watched the man skulking down the passageway, coming toward the opaquely lit area. He sat on the other side of the bench.
“I do not like being kept waiting,” Jed said, affecting the slight accent Europeans had when they spoke English.
“Hiking in the early morning is not easy for me,” the man said, rubbing his hands hard. “Are you sure we’re alone?”
“We are safe,” Jed said. “Do you have the package, Dimitri?”
Dimitri put his hand inside his long coat, then became very still when he realized Jed was already standing behind him, one warning hand on his shoulder.
“No, no gun, Stefan. I have the package inside my coat pocket. Feel it yourself.”
“Take it out slowly and hand it over your shoulder.” When he complied, Jed took it with his free hand. His hand didn’t leave the other man’s shoulder. “Do you know why your boss sent you to pass this information to me?”
He could feel Dimitri trembling. The man wasn’t a fool. He knew.
“I’m his most trusted man,” Dimitri said, his voice a little high pitched.
“I almost believe you,” Jed murmured. “Do you know, though, he has a habit of sending me people he wants to get rid of? It’s a business arrangement. He gives me what I want, and I dispense with what he does not want.”
“If I believed that, I would not be here, would I?” Dimitri asked, this time unable to hide his nervousness. “I did not run. I came here, just as I was told, and delivered the package.”
“Yes. A trained mouse follows the maze over and over, looking for its reward. You knew they would find you anyway, so you did everything exactly as you were told to get a reprieve.”
“I also have the hope that you want some useful answers, Stefan.”
“And there is that.” Jed counted a beat of two. “Tell me, Dimitri, I’m assuming that you are a clever curious mouse. What is in the package?”
“Deutsche International’s contact that gave them the SEED decoder. The minutes of the last private meeting. I assure you, D.I. just wants world peace. Why do you think we have so many famous politicians and people funding it?”
The last bit was delivered with sarcasm. Deutsche International’s front as a world forum to find answers to political strife had drawn quite a unique following consisting of some of the wealthiest and most well-known people in the world—one happy union of politicians, rock stars, peaceniks, intellectuals, geniuses, actors. A think-tank for change. But underneath it all, a market place, as all such places usually became.
“Now tell me,” Jed said, “what is not in the package?”
“They are in contact with a man named Gunther. I don’t know who he is but I do know he wields a lot of power behind the old guard.”
“The old guard,” Jed repeated slowly. “As in the Old Guard from the Soviet system?”
“There is only one old guard. Gunther promised D.I. the support of many noted politicians for a new peace movement if his terms were met.” There was a pause. “One of these terms has to do with the coming Skopje Summit.”
“Something is about to happen,” Jed said. “What?”
“That I do not know, but there is an agreement, that D.I. will not unleash its usual verbal attack and crowd disorders, at least not in a meaningful way, once it is over.”
“I want something more substantial than that, Dimitri,” Jed said icily. “It is your life, after all. Vagueness does not please me.”
Jed felt Dimitri tremble again at the quiet menace in his voice as the latter tried to decide whether to talk more or bargain. The man’s breathing was erratic and Jed knew the outcome even before he spoke. It wasn’t unexpected. Fear for one’s life was always conducive to loosen a stubborn tongue.
“I really do not know.” Dimitri squeaked as Jed applied slight pressure on his shoulder. The words came out faster. “It is big. The politicians will be affected. Stefan, I have been kept out of their loop in this matter. Please. All I know is...it has to do with the summit itself, the agenda, and D.I. will somehow benefit afterwards. You have everything I know—Gunther and D.I.’s involvement. Please!”
It was time to finish his end of the bargain. The silence stretched as Dimitri sat there, seemingly frozen in fear. He had nowhere to run to anyway. He had known, coming here, that this was his last courier stop.
Jed looked up. Morning light was filtering into the monastery.
“What did you do?” he finally asked. He’d never asked before. It complicated matters to get personal.
