Unknown Location
“C
hange of plans.”
Richter stared at the wall, his heart picking up a few more beats at the buyer’s announcement. “What do you mean?”
“I mean just that. I no longer trust you.”
He leaned forward in his chair, the phone pressed against his ear as he jabbed at the air in front of him with a finger. “Listen, we had a deal.”
“And we still do. However, there was never any mention of over sixty people dying. There is so much attention on this now, that I no longer trust our original plans. There will be no
handover on European territory.”
“Then the price is going to have to go up.”
“No, if anything, the price should have to go down. This commodity already had few buyers who could afford it, and now there are even fewer people who are willing to because of how many people died to obtain it. They can’t risk being connected to such an event.”
His pulse pounded in his ears as things threatened to fall apart. “Those people died for a completely different reason than the theft of the Bible, and you know it.”
“I don’t care. All that matters is that those people are dead, and the theft of the Bible is associated with it. And who the hell are those two professors? My people tell me that not only are they extremely wealthy, they’re very well respected. How did you ever get them involved?”
He smiled slightly at the fact he still knew more than this man. “They’re patsies.”
There was a pause. “You’re telling me that patsies have the Bible I agreed to pay two-hundred-million Euros for, and that you don’t even have it secure in your own people’s hands?”
He frowned at how quickly that had backfired. “They’ve already made it out of Spain. They’ll be in France shortly. The exchange can still go forward as planned and on schedule.”
“As I said, the exchange will no longer take place on European soil. Get it out of Europe, and I don’t mean to the United States, I mean someplace where if something goes wrong, the right amount of money will solve any problems we might encounter. Once you can prove that to me, then you’ll get your deposit and we’ll meet.”
His heart skipped a beat and beads of sweat emerged from his forehead. “We’ll meet?”
“Yes, you and me.”
“I don’t meet with people.”
“Well, you’re going to have to get over your legendary paranoia, because the only way this deal is going to happen is if you and I meet for this exchange.”
“But you don’t understand, I don’t go… anywhere.”
“I know. You’re always holed up in your little fortress down there. You’re either going to have to leave it, or I’m coming to you.”
The world closed in around him. “Out of the question.”
“Too bad. You call me when you have the Bible secure and then you’ll give me the arrangements. Oh, and I want those two professors there to authenticate it.” The call ended and his heart hammered, his entire body sweating profusely. He pressed the button summoning Gerhard. The door opened, his man immediately concerned.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
“We’re going to have company.”
