End of Days (Pike Logan #16)(61)

Garrett entered the Knights of Malta Magisterial Palace in a rush, wanting to use his computer to locate the residence of one Inspector Lia Vairo. He knew it wouldn’t be that difficult, given what he’d gleaned. From what she’d said, she was the owner of the flat due to a divorce, and Trastevere was a touristy area full of students and expats renting apartments, so finding a local living there through a records search—given he now had a name—should be fairly easy. Especially with the database access he had.

He stalked past the secretary at her ornate desk, heading to the stairwell leading to his dungeon office, and she stopped him, saying, “The U.S. State Department are coming in twenty minutes. The lieutenant would like you to remain behind after they leave.”

And he realized that the killings of the women weren’t the only threat he faced.

He said, “Of course. I’ll stay as long as I have to. I was just running down to my office and then back to my car. I’ll be here when they leave.”

He jogged down the hallway, went down the stairs, and found Raphael and Michelangelo still there. He said, “Where’s Leonardo?”

“Just went out for a bite to eat.” He pointed at a clock showing the late afternoon and said, “We were going to do the same.”

“Not right now. When is Leonardo returning?”

“Maybe an hour, but he did get in touch with the contact in Lebanon. The man’s agreed to meet us without Donatello.”

“Good. Very good. At least something is going right. When do you fly?”

“Tomorrow morning, if Leonardo can purchase the tickets.”

“Okay. Good. Keep your Zello phones operational. In the meantime, you guys stay here. I might have a mission for you.”

“What?”

“Two U.S. State Department investigators are coming here with questions about Donatello. Apparently, they found his Knight’s diplomatic passport and are wondering what he did here.”

Raphael showed alarm, saying, “What are they looking for? What do they have?”

“I don’t know. I have a meeting with the lieutenant right after they leave. I don’t have time to explain right now.” He looked at his watch and said, “I’ll be back in less than ten minutes.”

He jogged back upstairs and passed the secretary, saying, “Just got to run to my car. Are they here yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

He left the building, but didn’t go to his car parked on the road near the Spanish Steps. Instead, he shadowed the wall down the courtyard and sat on a stone bench, keeping an eye on the security guard blocking the archway that led inside to the parking area.

A late-model Acura sedan appeared and the driver spoke to the guard for a moment before being allowed inside. They parked in a space ten feet away from where Garrett sat and two men exited, both wearing knit polo shirts and chinos, but neither looked like any State Department personnel he’d ever encountered. But they were definitely American. One was tall with shaggy black hair pulled into a ponytail in a shoddy attempt to make himself look presentable. The other was a short black man with a physique that made him look like a fireplug, his muscles straining the shirt he wore. The ponytail man glanced his way and Garrett recognized the same skill he’d seen with the man and the woman at the murder scene.

Garrett glanced away, pretending he hadn’t noticed their arrival. He waited until they’d gone inside, thinking about his options. He’d expected them to be on foot, like most everyone else in the area due to the lack of parking—just as he was routinely forced to do before coming to work. He hadn’t realized the order had given them parking privileges, but he should have assumed that would happen.

He went back in, saw the secretary, and said, “I’m back. Are they here?”

She said, “Yes. They just went in.”

“Okay, I’ll be downstairs until they’re done. Just let me know.”

He left without waiting for an answer, entered his little office, and saw Leonardo had returned. He said, “So we’re good for Beirut?”

“Yes. Raph and I fly tomorrow. But you really have to be ready. We do this, and we might not come out alive. I don’t want the trip to be for nothing. The contact is not someone to trifle with.”

Garrett nodded and said, “Yes, yes, I understand. Trust me, I gave my manhood to finally understand. Don’t question me.”

The men in the room all heard the words and glanced away, not wanting to face Garrett’s fury.

Garrett said, “But we have an immediate problem. There are two men upstairs who are from the United States asking about Donatello. I don’t think they’re U.S. State. I think they’re something else. I need Raph and Mikey to track them to wherever they’re going next. They came in a car, so you need to get your scooters. How far away are they?”

Raph said, “Just up the street, but why?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know the damage done by Donatello. But it could be significant, and we need to tie it off, right now. Do you still have a limpet mine?”

Michelangelo said, “I have one left, but I have to get it.”

“Do so. Get the bike, get the mine, and come back here. You have probably about an hour. Maybe less.”