Tightrope (Burning Cove #3)(54)

Amalie winced. “In other words, Smith thought it would be easy to get rid of a couple of women if the necessity arose.”

“We’re speculating,” Matthias assured her.

“But that would fit Smith’s pattern,” Luther said. “He prefers to stay in the shadows whenever possible. The last thing he wants is an incident that will attract the attention of the FBI or the head of a certain government agency. But it is said that on the rare occasions when he feels threatened, he is quite ruthless with witnesses.”

Amalie smiled a cool little smile. “He’ll certainly have a few complications if he tries anything at the Hidden Beach now, won’t he?”

“What do you mean?” Raina asked.

“In addition to the fact that my inn was recently featured in a story about a killer robot, I’ve got a legendary star in residence,” Amalie said. “If anything at all happens at the Hidden Beach, the press will descend on the place in droves.”

Raina smiled in slow appreciation. “Very true.”

“The police will be forced to conduct a thorough investigation,” Amalie continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI got involved. Your Mr. Smith would no doubt have to run for his life.”

Raina chuckled. “Amalie has a point, gentlemen. She is currently protected by no less than Mad Doctor X himself. Hyde may be a fading start but he’s still a legend.”

Luther’s brows rose. “I hadn’t considered the situation from that angle, but I admit there is some logic to the theory.”

“My staff keep reminding me of the value of publicity, any publicity,” Amalie said. “Personally, I’ve always had my doubts about that theory, but these days I’m trying to keep an open mind.”

“One thing is clear,” Raina said. “It’s obvious now that Smith has not abandoned his project. He must be hanging around for some reason.”

“The keys,” Matthias said. “This afternoon Chester Ward and I started taking the robot apart. It’s slow going. It looks like the wiring and the hardware were just crammed inside the shell. We haven’t found anything so far. We don’t even know what we’re looking for. If there are some actual keys, they will be quite small.”

“Do you really think that Pickwell concealed some vital component of the cipher machine inside Futuro?” Raina asked.

“It’s a long shot but at the moment it’s all we’ve got,” Matthias said.

Amalie studied Luther. “What do you know about Mr. Smith?”

“Almost nothing,” Luther admitted. “Matthias told you most of what little I do know. Smith worked as a covert agent during the Great War but his identity was a highly classified secret, known only to the man who recruited him. Smith was assigned to the European theater and is said to have provided some extremely valuable information, not only during wartime but for a few years afterward. Then the budget cuts started.”

Raina looked shocked. “Are you telling us that Smith went into the gunrunning because he was fired?”

“Spying is an expensive business,” Luther said. “A few years ago the government, in its wisdom, decided to cut back on funding for intelligence agencies. A lot of people lost their jobs. Smith was evidently one of them. Rumor had it that he did not take early retirement well.”

Amalie frowned. “You said he was evidently one of those who was fired? You don’t know for certain?”

Luther shrugged. “Officially, Smith didn’t even exist.”

“But you’re sure that there was a Smith?” Amalie pressed.

Luther was amused. “Within the intelligence community there are very few secrets. Smith’s real identity was never revealed but it was impossible to ignore the results of his work. He was a legend but no one knew his name. There were no photographs of him. He might as well have been a ghost. The only thing we can be sure of is that he must be about my age, perhaps a little older.”

“Because he served in the Great War?” Raina said. “Yes, of course, that makes sense.”

“What makes you so sure that Smith is a man?” Amalie asked.

Raina gave her another approving look. “That’s a very good question.”

“I’ve considered the possibility that Smith is a woman,” Luther said. “It’s an interesting idea and I haven’t entirely discounted it. But I think it is reasonable to assume that we’re dealing with a man.”

“It seems to me that a woman could toss a grenade as well as a man,” Amalie asked.

“Luther is convinced that Smith is male because within the intelligence community there is a widespread conviction that women are not suited to the work,” Matthias said.

“I’ve got a name for you,” Raina said. “Mata Hari.”

“An intriguing lady,” Luther admitted. “But a lousy spy and possibly somewhat mad. She was probably set up by the Germans. The French shot her because they needed a scapegoat. As I said, I’m not saying it’s impossible that Smith was female, but odds are we are dealing with a man, one who is holding a very big grudge.”

Raina took a sip of her cocktail and lowered the glass. “He no doubt feels that he risked his life for the agency that recruited him, and in the end he was cast aside like so much useless trash.”