Page 59 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

“That’s the leading theory, but it’s still under investigation.” Rick paused, then asked, “Were you present when Rogers was killed today?”

“I may have been in the vicinity.”

“He was one of my mentors when I started out. We lost a good man.”

“I’m sorry.”

Rick nodded grimly, then removed a picture from his pocket and handed it to Teddy.

“What’s this?” Teddy asked.

“I don’t know if you know this or not, but Rogers was almost killed in Prague before he came to Italy.”

“He told me.”

Rick jutted his chin at the picture. “That’s a still from security footage of the man who was following him.”

Teddy looked at the photo. The man was standing on a sidewalk, his face in three-quarter profile.

“I know where you can find his body,” Teddy said.

“Let me guess, he’s the guy who killed Rogers on the train.”

“One and the same. Have you ID’ed him?”

“Check the back.”

Teddy flipped over the picture. Written there was the nameOscar Schmidt, followed by a list of aliases.

“What else do you know about him?”

“Born outside Vienna,” Rick said. “Spent a couple years in the Austrian armed forces and has been bouncing between mercenary outfits ever since. His last known employer was a Bulgarian group. I made some inquiries and found out he left there for eighteen months ago. I haven’t found anyone who knows where he went next.”

“Too bad. If you had, then my mission would be finished.”

“Sorry to disappoint. My people are still looking into it, but don’t hold your breath.”

Teddy glanced at the picture again, then said, “May I keep this?”

“It’s for you.”

Teddy slipped it into his pocket. “Any guesses as to who might—”

Vesna’s voice popped into Teddy’s ear. “You have company.”

He unmuted the radio. “Explain.”

“Two men. One is at a door on the north side and appears to be picking the lock. The other man is positioned at the east corner, near the street. He’s the lookout.”

“Copy.”

Before Teddy could say anything else, Rick asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“A friend.”

“You didn’t come alone?”

“It’s been that kind of day,” Teddy said. “You did?”

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