who killed your brother and why. I want to know who's been killing the old men."
Is she on the level? he wondered. Was this some kind of trick? What did she really want?
"You think the murderers are one and the same? My brother and these men on that list of yours?"
"I'm convinced of it now. All part of the same pattern, the same mosaic."
"What's in it for me?" He looked at her boldly but softened it with a grin.
"Nothing official, let me tell you that right up front. Maybe a little protection. Put it this way they've already tried to kill you more than once. How long is your luck going to hold?"
"And if I stick close to you, I'm safe?"
"Safer, maybe. You got a better idea? You did come to my hotel, after all. Anyway, the cops took your gun, right?"
True. "I'm sure you understand my reluctance after all, until very recently you wanted me in prison."
"Look, feel free to go back to your hotel. Have a good night's sleep."
"Point taken. You're making a generous offer. Maybe one I'd be foolish to turn down. I I don't know."
"Well, sleep on it."
"Speaking of sleep "
Her eyes searched the room. "I "
"I'll call down to the front desk and get myself a room."
"I doubt you'll get one. There's some conference here, and they're booked to capacity. I got one of the last rooms available. Why don't you sleep on the couch?"
He gave her a quick look. Did the uptight Special Agent Navarro just invite him to spend the night in her room? No. He was deluding himself. Her body language, the unspoken signals, made it clear: she'd invited him here to hide out, not to slip into her bed.
"Thanks," he said.
"Just one thing: the couch is a little small, maybe a bit too short."
"I've slept on worse, believe me."
She got up, went to a closet, and found a blanket, handed it to him. "I can ask room service to bring up a toothbrush. In the morning we're going to have to retrieve your clothes, your luggage, from your hotel."
"I don't plan to go back."
"Definitely not a good idea. I'll make arrangements." She seemed to realize that she was standing a little too close, and she took a step backward, the gesture awkward. "Well, I'm going to turn in," she said.
He thought of something suddenly, an idea that had been teasing at the back of his mind since leaving Lenz's villa. "The old Nazi hunter Jakob Sonnenfeld lives in this town, doesn't he?"
She turned toward him. "That sounds right."
"I read somewhere recently he may be ancient but he's as sharp as ever. Plus, he's supposed to have extensive files. I wonder..."
"You think he'll see you?"
"I think it's worth a try."
"Well, be careful if you do go. Take some security precautions. Don't let anyone follow you there. For his sake."
"Hey, I'll take any advice on that you want to give me."
While she got ready for bed, he called Bedford on his digital phone.
Mrs. Walsh answered. She sounded agitated. "No, Benjamin, I haven't heard a word. Not a word! He seems to have vanished without a trace. I've well, I've brought the police in on this. I'm at my wits' end!"
Ben felt a dull headache starting: the tension, which for a while had abated, had returned. Rattled, he mumbled a few empty words of reassurance, disconnected the call, took off his jacket, and hung it on the back of the desk chair. Then, still dressed in his slacks and shirt, he settled onto the sofa and pulled the blanket over him.
What did this mean, his father's disappearing without leaving a word? He had voluntarily gotten into a limousine; it wasn't a kidnapping. Presumably he knew where he was going.
Which was where?
He struggled to get comfortable on the couch, but Navarro was right, it was just an inch or two too short for comfort. He saw her sitting up in bed reading a file by the light of the bed lamp. Her soft brown eyes were caught by the pool of light.
"Was that about your father?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but-"
"It's O.K. Yeah, my father vanished a few days ago. Got in a limousine to the airport and was never heard from again."
She put down the file, sat up straight. "That's a possible kidnapping. Which makes it federal business."
He swallowed, his mouth dry. Could he really have been abducted?
"Tell me what you know," she said.
The phone jangled some