“I’d appreciate that.”
“Can I do anything else?” Boden asked.
“I don’t think so, sir. I truly appreciate your help.” Gage raised his finger. “One other thing—your security man, Stephan, I believe it was?”
“Yes.”
“He just gave me what we call the ‘evil eye.’ What’s that about?”
With a slight shrug, the Ministerpräsident said, “Don’t take it to heart. He’s very protective of me and, for whatever reason, I think losing his hearing cost him the ability to gain the context of a social situation. Make sense?”
“It does.”
“He’s a fine man. I wouldn’t have him by my side if he weren’t.”
Boden shook Gage’s hand and walked to his Mercedes, taking up position in the passenger seat. After Boden’s car had driven away, the door to the family limousine opened and Katja emerged with an umbrella. She looked very beautiful, despite the occasion. The long streaks of gray in her hair matched the gray suit under her slim wool trench.
“What’d that asshole want?” she asked.
“Whoa,” Gage replied. “You don’t mince words.”
“I told you, Gage, he’s no good. He had my mother wrapped around his finger and now he’s freaking the hell out because he doesn’t have his all-important Vogel allies anymore.”
Gage turned and watched as the Ministerpräsident’s Mercedes exited the old cemetery, merging into the light afternoon traffic. “I know you two have history, but he strikes me as a decent enough guy.”
“He’s a politician,” she smiled sardonically. “He’s working your ass.”
“I suppose.”
“Are you leaving?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be staying here.”
Katja ignored his joke. “May I ride with you? Ina and I have had quite enough of each other.”
“Uh, sure.”
Katja walked to the limo. She opened the door and reemerged with her purse. The limo drove away. She came back to Gage. “I’m sure she’s glad to be rid of me.”
“Too much sister time?”
“We’ve been arguing all day. We just can’t be around each other for any length of time.”
They began walking to the Audi. “Speaking of Ina…is she involved with anyone?”
“Probably several people,” Katja replied. “We don’t talk about it. As you can probably tell, Ina is a bit different.”
“In what way?”
“She likes women…and men…and…I don’t know. When she first went to university, she announced that she had a girlfriend. My father lost it. But that didn’t last. After that, she dated all types of people. Then, about a year after she graduated, she married an older man who died about ten years ago. Since then, she hasn’t been steady with anyone, as far as I know.”
“What about you?”
“I haven’t dated anyone in over a year.”
“Seems hard to fathom.”
They reached the car. Katja turned to face him. “Why?”
Gage could hear the rain pattering on the taut umbrella. “Despite your tough exterior, Katja, I can tell you’re a good person.”
A roll of her eyes. “Oh, thanks.”
“Don’t read into that.”
“So, before you got to know me, I wasn’t a good person?”
“Please don’t put words into my mouth.”
The trace of a smile built on her lips before she slid into the passenger seat of the Audi. After she shook off her umbrella and closed it, Gage shut her door. He walked around the car and took his place in the driver’s seat. As they were leaving the cemetery, Katja instructed him to turn right, the same direction that Boden’s Mercedes had gone. Gage obeyed.
“Where are we going?” he asked. The estate was in the opposite direction.
“I’m hungry and I really don’t feel like going home right now.”
“Okay.”
He continued to follow Katja’s directions until he found himself merging onto Autobahn 5 south, in the direction of Frankfurt.
“We’re gonna hit some traffic,” Gage warned.
“It’s okay,” she said.
His phone rang. It was John Kudlak, the West Virginian pulmonologist. Gage touched the automated text reply for “Can I call you later?” Doctor Kudlak replied immediately with “Yes.”
They did indeed encounter heavy traffic. It allowed them to talk. Gage stuck to lighter subjects and several times found himself laughing at Katja’s sharp wit and occasional foul tongue. She continued to direct him until they’d traversed much of Frankfurt and crossed the Main River to the south side, on the western edge of Sachsenhausen. She had him turn right, then left, and then into a broad entrance. The wipers beat steadily as they followed the curving path up to the majestic Villa Kennedy Hotel.
A hotel? Gage’s heart raced.
“They have an Italian restaurant here: Gusto,” Katja declared. “It’s fantastic.”
Gage relaxed.
“You do like Italian food?”
“Who doesn’t?” Gage answered, wheeling the car up the curving drive.
Under the grand portico, a valet greeted them, asking if they would be hourly or overnight.
“Overnight,” Katja replied coolly, walking in ahead of Gage…
…who was too stunned to move.
* * *
Inside, Katja asked Gage to wait as she walked to the reception desk, tapping her credit card on the counter while the two guests in front of her checked in. She swiveled her gaze to Gage, her knowing smirk sending his heart into palpitations. In an effort to calm himself, he let his eyes roam the charming hotel lobby, dominated by broad archways throughout. Though he didn’t have any experience in architectural design, it was clear to see that whatever this style was, it blended old with new. The overall effect was a sumptuous and inviting hotel. The lobby floor was cream-colored marble, with sections of hardwood near the reception desk. The ceiling was wooden tray, constructed with the same walnut wood as the floor. The walls were different shades of tan and brown, many adorned with large paintings of President John F. Kennedy, a man revered in Germany due to his famed June 1963 diplomatic trip. Everywhere the American president went, massive crowds gathered, ending in Berlin with his famous “Ich bin ein
