Page 93 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

34

“Thank you,” Jillian said intothe phone, in English. “I’ll authorize the second half of your payment to be wired immediately.”

She hung up and stared at her desk.

The man she’d just talked to had been the private eye in California who had been doing the deeper background check on Roland Turner. Given what he’d found, there was no way Turner could be Fay.

It was both a relief and a gut punch.

While she still didn’t know for a fact what Braun had planned for the names on his list, she had no doubt it wasn’t good. She’d finally googled Alexis Komarov, the Russian she’d located for Braun a month ago. Less than a week later, the passenger jet he was flying on experienced a mid-flight explosion.

The timing was too close to be coincidental.

To think that she had all but fingered Roland Turner as Teddy Fay and had thus potentially signed his death warrant was almost too much to bear.

While she was not glad that Danielle Verde was injured, it at least kept Dieter occupied. She just needed to let him know that Turner was not Fay.

She called him and was sent straight to voicemail. “Mr. Wenz, it’s Jillian Courtois. Roland Turner is not Teddy Fay. Call back and I’ll give you the details.”

She hung up, hoping desperately that he checked his messages.

“It’s a no-go,” Rolf said.“There are two men in the lobby watching everyone. And where there are two—”

“—there will be more elsewhere,” Dieter finished for him.

He, Rolf, and Andreas were at a café three blocks from the Ritz-Carlton. Since dealing with Verde was currently not an option, Dieter had sent Rolf to scope out the hotel. If all looked okay there, he had planned on paying Roland Turner a visit.

Now even that was off the table.

“Wait here,” he said, then went outside to call Jillian, and noticed that he had a voicemail from her. Instead of listening to it, he tapped her number.

“Oh, thank God,” she said. “You got my message?”

“I saw that you left one, but haven’t heard it yet,” he said. “Listen, can you find out what Turner’s schedule will be for the next few days? That would be a big help.”

“That’s what my message was about.”

“Turner’s schedule?”

“No. About Turner. I don’t think he is our guy.”

“What do you mean? I thought he was.”

“I had a private investigator in the States looking into him. His identity is real.”

“Teddy Fay could easily create a solid legend for himself.”

“Yes, of course. You’re right. B-b-but the investigator found more than enough credible evidence, including a half sister, which Fay did not have.”

“It could still be faked.”

“It’s not. Turner is not Fay.”

“Well, shit, Jillian. The boss isn’t going to like this.”

“Oh, um, sh-sh-shouldItell him?” she asked, sounding very much like she didn’t want to do that.

“I’ll do it.”

---