That was what years of training got you, an almost supernatural talent for observation.

Over his earwig Robie heard, “Nothing.”

She kept walking and he heard her say, “Hold on a sec. Let me check something.”

She kept walking down the street. Robie watched as she passed a guy wearing a black warm-up suit, with a ski cap pulled low. He was looking down at the pavement but Robie could tell his gaze was also roaming.

Reel passed him. A few seconds later over his earwig Robie heard her say, “Bingo. Tag, you’re it.”

Robie immediately rose and took up the tail on the guy. As he walked he mumbled into his mic, “Talk to me.”

“That was Dick Johnson. Remember him?”

“Dropped out of the clandestine service about two years ago, or so I heard.”

“Disappeared was more like it.”

“You sure it’s him? I didn’t know him that well.”

“He’s changed. But what he didn’t change was a tat on his shooting hand.”

“What of?”

“Oh, pretty routine. A scorpion holding a gun with its stinger and the word ‘Mom’ inked on the scorp’s back.”

“Okay, that sounds about as good as a fingerprint for ID.”

“See where he goes.”

“You think he’s part of the missing personnel DiCarlo was talking about?”

“I doubt this village is a hot destination, particularly in winter. No place to ski.”

Johnson turned down one corner and a few seconds later so did Robie. He said into his mic, “Parallel us on the next street over. Then take up the tail after the next intersection. I’ll drop off and dogleg it over to the next street. We’ll keep up that rotation all the way to where he’s staying so he doesn’t get suspicious.”

“Copy that.”

They exchanged the role of trailing Johnson three times. The streets were crowded, which helped. Robie was behind him when Johnson went into what looked like a hostel. Robie went to a café across the street. He sat down at a table and waited.

A few minutes later Reel’s voice came over the mic. “Room 21, second floor. I saw three other guys in there I could swear were just like us.”

“I wonder how many they have.”

“More than four, that’s for sure.”

“Anybody pay you any attention?”

“One guy looked at me a little too long, so I turned around and started speaking German to the guy behind the desk in the lobby. He didn’t understand me, but the guy lost interest and walked off. Good thing I had a little plastic surgery done. But you didn’t, so keep low and your hat down and don’t talk much unless it’s in a foreign language.”

“Right,” said Robie.

“So what now?”

“We sit on Johnson and his team. Let them lead us where they’ll lead us. You know what they’re going to do?”

Reel said, “They’ll have to recon the site and do a walk-through.”

“That’s probable.”

“Do we hit them then?”

“Love to, but we have one problem.”

“Our weapons are outside the checkpoints,” she noted.

“Right. Now, Johnson wasn’t wearing any security badges like the other grunts we’ve seen, so I’m wondering how they’re getting their firepower. Because it has to be here somewhere. They’re not going to beat these guys to death with sticks.”

“Maybe it’s waiting for them inside the security checkpoint,” said Reel.

“Along with whatever else they’re going to need to do this.”

“Which might just solve our dilemma.”

“And kill two birds with one stone.”

“Would be nice,” she commented.

“Yes, it would.”

CHAPTER

75

DICK JOHNSON WENT ON THE move late that night. And Robie and Reel, who had changed clothes and looked as different as possible from earlier, were right there with him.

The town was actually larger than it looked, and there were many streets and back alleys off the main roads. Johnson took one of these and kept going for about fifteen blocks until the snow globe town turned into something a little less picturesque.

As before, Reel and Robie took turns trailing Johnson. They were wearing layers, and when one broke off from the tail they would shed a layer and stuff it in the knapsack each of them carried. With different clothes and staggering their surveillance, even someone as trained Johnson would have been hard pressed to spot them.

But he was taking steps to make sure he wasn’t followed. He continually crossed the street. And occasionally when he would pass a darkened plate glass window he would stop in front of it and pretend to look at the merchandise while he used the reflective surface to check who was around. Sometimes he would simply stop, turn around, and start walking in the opposite direction, his gaze swiveling in all directions. Robie and Reel knew all of these tricks but still had to hustle to keep their cover.

The trail finally ended at a large old building on the outskirts of town, far away from the scheduled event and security perimeter.

Johnson went inside and Reel and Robie stood next to each other in the deep shadows of a nearby alley.

“Warehouse?” said Robie.

“Or operations center more likely,” said Reel.

“Then we need to get in.”

“Tricky. It’s probably better guarded than the Middle East event.”

“And yet here we are just a few feet away with a target under surveillance.”

The front door of the place opened and a man came out.

Robie lifted his night optics to his eyes and took a peek. He handed the optics to Reel, who watched the man slowly walk down the street.

“Judge Samuel Kent,” said Reel.

“They brought in the big gun for the finale.”

“That validates our decision to come here.”

“validates, but that’s all.”

“We need to split up,” said Reel. “I’ll take Kent. You take the warehouse.”

She started to head off, but he gripped her arm. “Follow, don’t kill. We need him alive. For now.”

She pulled free from his grip. “Do you really think you need to tell me how to do my job?”

“I’m thinking about your lost friends. Sometimes the temptation can be too great.”

“I don’t want just him. I want them all, Robie. And if he needs to keep breathing in order to do that, so be it.”

“Just so we have it straight.”

“We have it straight.”

She headed off into the darkness.

Robie watched her until she and Kent disappeared into the night.

He turned his attention back to the building. Slowly he made his way around its footprint, checking out all entry and exit spots as he went along. Most of the windows were dark, but not all.

Three lighted windows, and he saw movement at two of them. They were all on the lower level.

He figured perimeter security was posted 24/7 if this was really their command center. And because Kent had been here, Robie had to assume it was. So how to get in and then out with what they needed but no one the wiser?

“Pretty much impossible,” he told himself as he crouched in the alley staring up at the building. But then another idea struck him.

He spoke into his mic. “Progress report?”

“very little, actually. Still walking,” answered Reel. “Don’t think he’s staying at the same place as the hired help. You?”

“Gonna try something.”

“What does that mean exactly?” she said, sounding a little startled.

“It means exactly that I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Robie, if you’re going to go in there I’m coming with you.”

“I didn’t say I was going in there.”