“I will,” Gage said, shaking the Marine’s hand.
Gage leaned down and waved to his new friend. She made a phone gesture with her thumb and pinkie fingers and mouthed the German words, “Ruf mich an.” It meant, “Call me.”
With a few light taps of the horn, Anthony eased the Cadillac away from the Hunter estate, the low profile tires crunching on the gravel. The late afternoon sun glinted and sparkled on the car as it glided toward the two-lane road. After the car had headed south, Hunter led Gage to the back patio.
“What the ever-loving hell was all that about?”
“How many beers did you two drink?” Gage asked, waving his hand in front of his nose.
“Don’t delay,” Hunter griped. “Tell me.”
“Killing you to know, isn’t it? How—many—beers?”
“He had one—I had three.” The colonel shrugged. “Hey, it’s not every day Alice gives me the green light in the afternoon. Now…sit your butt down and talk.”
The two men sat as Sheriff found a comfortable spot between them. The sun was nearly over the horizon and the sounds from the kitchen indicated that Alice was beginning her work on supper. Gage leaned his head back, drinking in the salmon-colored sky above.
“Are you gonna tell me?” Hunter muttered.
Gage resumed his gaze on the colonel. “In a nutshell, sir, she wants me to come to Germany and live by her side…until she dies.”
Hunter didn’t respond. Instead, he peaked one eyebrow and screwed up his face.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” Gage agreed. “But, when she explained, it made more sense.”
“You’re considering it.”
“Hard not to, especially when you hear the story.”
“Tell me more.”
“She has cancer. It’s terminal.”
“Looked pretty good to me, other than the wheelchair.”
“Me too, but she said it’s getting worse by the week. She opted not to treat it. That’s why she came on this trip—she was walking fine when they arrived in the States. Said she’d originally hoped she’d pass away while traveling, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen.”
“That’s too bad. Hate hearing stuff like that.” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “But why does she want you to come live by her side?”
“This part is the kicker.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Gage licked his lips. “Because she believes someone close to her is trying to kill her.”
Silence. Colonel Hunter eventually adjusted his position in the chair. “What makes her think that?”
“She told me her husband was murdered, and she’s certain someone close to the family, or in the family, killed him.”
“Murdered?”
“Yes. But there was no investigation, no crime.”
“You’re gonna have to explain that to me,” Hunter said.
“Her husband was a bit older than her. He was sick…bad heart…bedridden. He died in his sleep and they cremated him soon thereafter. The authorities don’t know it, but she arranged for a private autopsy to be performed.”
“And?”
“Her husband’s blood showed a very high concentration of potassium…um,” Gage’s eyes went up as he struggled to remember.
“Potassium chloride?”
“That’s it,” Gage said, snapping his finger. “How’d you know?”
“It’s one of the drugs they use during lethal injection. It’s also high on the preferred list of assassins. Someone with a bad heart condition can’t handle even a low dose of potassium chloride, and most times no autopsy is performed because it looks like the person died of heart failure. Get it?”
“How’d you know that?”
Hunter grinned.
“Anyway, the doctor who performed the autopsy found enough potassium chloride in the old man’s blood to kill him. Like you said, he already had a bad heart. This just finished him off. Found a minuscule puncture wound by his jugular, too.”
“So, someone poked him in the neck and shot him up?”
“According to Claudia Vogel.”
“But she kept it private?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t want the publicity of a murder.”
“So, how does she know someone close to her did it?”
“This is where the story takes a hard turn to the right.” Gage paused for a few seconds. “Herr Vogel died at home. There were a finite number of people on the property. She told me they have an elaborate security system, and security personnel at the perimeter, and she’d have known if any strangers were around.”
“Sounds like they’re wealthy. And if all that’s true, she just needs to call the cops,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “Okay…you humored her, and I got a few cold beers out of it.”
“She’s definitely wealthy, and I believe her,” Gage said.
“Good.”
“I might go.”
Frowning, Hunter laced his hands over his trim stomach. “What is it about this that intrigues you? The Germany angle?”
“That’s part of it. Her story definitely sucked me in.”
“Who does she think killed her husband?”
“She wouldn’t say.”
“That’s no good.”
“Why?”
“Did she at least name who she suspects?”
“Kind of.”
“What’s that mean?” Hunter asked.
“She has two children, neither of whom were close to her husband. They’re possibilities,” Gage answered. “She said her husband had numerous business rivals, too.”
“Wasn’t he retired?”
“No. She said he worked even after being bedridden. Said that’s what made him happy.”
“Who was on the property when he died?”
“Just her, the children, and a few trusted workers.”
“Her kids were there?”
“They live on the family estate.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Son, people who are seventy-plus, who have grown kids living on the ‘family estate’ are either extremely wealthy…ruling class wealthy…or they all live in trailers on a dirt lot. And I’ll bet my ‘estate’ here that she ain’t livin’ in a double-wide.”
“Well that’s it,” Gage replied, opening his hands. “That was the offer. Go to Germany and protect her till she dies.”
“That’s all she told you? She said, ‘My husband died from a lethal injection, and I think someone close
