Page 52 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

“It’s possible he has been found.”

Dieter switched his phone onthe moment his plane was on the ground at the Venice Marco Polo Airport and was greeted with several message alerts.

He worked through them, his jaw tensing.

Upon exiting the plane, he called Braun. “Schmidt is dead.”

“You’ve dealt with him already?”

“Not me. I just arrived. His body was found along the tracks in the hills outside Bologna.”

“What are you saying? He fell off the train?”

“No. According to our men on-site, he was shot.”

Silence.

Dieter had to check his phone to make sure his boss was still on the line.

Finally, Braun said, his anger barely contained, “Who did it? Rogers?”

“Likely, but I don’t know yet.”

“And where ishe?”

“Unknown. The only video we have of either of them is when they boarded the train in Florence. It’s likely Rogers hopped off after killing Schmidt.”

“Have you rechecked the video?” Braun demanded.

“Already in process.”

“The video in Venice, too. Byourpeople, not your deadbeat freelancers.”

“Also happening,” Dieter said, as calm as always. “I do have some good news.”

“Well, that would be a nice change.”

“I had a message from Jillian. She’s heard from a second source, who has no connection to the first, that Teddy Fay is alive.”

“Rumors are one thing. Has she found any proof yet?”

“Not yet.”

Braun swore under his breath. “You don’t understand how much I want it to be true!”

“Perhaps not, but I know it’s important. I’ll work with Jillian on it. If there’s proof, we’ll find it.”

According to Jillian, the second source had also claimed that Fay was currently in Europe. But Dieter thought it best not to share that information with his boss just yet.

Dieter’s phone beeped with another call. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Hilgard, the man he’d sent to shadow the CIA’s Paris station chief.

“Sir, I need to take this call. If there’s nothing else…?”

“Just get things back on track!” Braun said and hung up.

Dieter answered the other call. “Yes?”

“Rick La Rose is at Orly Airport,” Hilgard said.

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