Chapter 38

Anne’s cell phone rang just after they got into the cab. She saw on the screen that it was Julia--the time ten-thirty-seven a.m.

“Julia! Where are you?”

“I just landed in Vienna. I want to meet up with you as soon as possible.”

“Great. We are on our way to the Rudolfinerhaus clinic. Labrecque had Hetzel medevaced here to get him better care. We want him to survive so he can face trial at the ICJ. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

“I’ll meet you there. It shouldn’t be much longer than that.”

“Lovely. We’ll wait in the lobby.”

***

In the elevator on the way up to the Intensive Care Unit, Julia told her friends how joyous the reunion between Nadia and her parents had been. But that it was dampened by the news that Mikhail Glinkov would never walk again because of the injury he suffered to his spinal cord when he helped foil the last heist. She related how Gospodja Glinkova had told her that their family would have a tough time making ends meet, and Nadia would have to go to work.

“Well, that’s exactly the kind of thing the money from these crooks will help with,” Greg said. “What a tragedy, though, for Glinkov.”

“That’s what I told them,” Julia agreed. “That we would help. But poor man, he was just overjoyed to get his daughter back.”

“Good, now let’s see how this depraved abuser of women is faring,” Anne said as the elevator doors opened.

The head nurse at the desk on the floor informed them that they would only be allowed to see the patient for ten minutes, and that, only because the head of Interpol had specifically instructed the hospital to let them visit with him. And that they should try not to cause the patient any stress.

“Stress?” Greg responded somewhat irately, as the nurse led them to the room. “Do you know what this guy is, Fraulein? A filthy human trafficker. A creep, who abused both these two women, as well as countless others. Young girls. Teenagers.”

“Jawohl, mein Herr. Keine Sorge,” came the rather bland answer. “Yes, sir. No worries.”

Hetzel slowly opened his eyes when they entered the room. His pale and drawn face metamorphosed into a wicked scowl, before he closed his eyelids again, momentarily it seemed, then reopened them, as if wanting to make sure that the three people who appeared before him were for real.

“Hetzel.” Greg had thought long and hard about what he would say if he ever saw the man--who was no longer a man--the monster, he corrected himself, alive again. “You did this horrific thing to yourself, by your actions. By abusing my wife, Julia, Nadia, and many others. By corrupting my friend, Adam. By helping Polyakov with these atomic heists.” Greg stopped for a moment, discomfited by Hetzel’s blank stare at the wall behind him. He wondered whether any of this was penetrating the man’s consciousness. Then he composed himself and continued: “You can rest assured that your penance is not over. It will never be, for so long as you live. When you get better, you will be hauled off to court--if we have our way, it will be the International Court of Justice where you will be tried for crimes against humanity. In front of the whole world. Along with some of your evil buddies. Until then, I hope you suffer here both physically and psychologically, in your living hell, you bastard. And may that continue in prison for the rest of your pitiful life.”

The two men glowered at each other for a while longer. Greg poured all his hatred for the man into his look. Hetzel’s eyes remained blank, showing no remorse, no contrition. After a few moments, he closed them, and Greg, Anne, and Julia left the room.

***

“Gospodja Pleshkova,” Greg said. “We will be returning home to Vermont tomorrow. Julia is safe, now, and she will look after you.”

Julia nodded. “Yes, Matushka, I will not leave you alone again. We will get a nurse to come whenever I have to go away.”

“Thank you again, Greg and Anne, for bringing my daughter back to me. And for finding the box of documents that has given me closure on my sister, Katerina’s disappearance.” The old lady stopped a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. “But, Greg, there is one other thing I would like you to do. When you visited earlier, we talked about you writing the story of Katerina. You have to promise me that you will do this. So that the world will know what kind of monsters ruled my country, and people will never let such horrible things happen again.”

They still rule your country, and it is happening even as we speak, Greg thought before saying, “Of course, Gospodja Pleshkova, I will write the book. But on one condition. Only if you help me. I will have a lot of questions for you as I delve into the life of your sister and of those around her. Also, the whole era of the fifties in the Soviet Union.”

“Of course, I will help until I die. In whatever way I can.”

“You will stay alive, Mama, well after Greg finishes his book. But this will be your project, with Greg.”

“I will be emailing you most days, Gospodja Pleshkova, so you had better stay alive.”

It was only in the elevator as they were leaving Julia’s apartment, that Anne remarked to Greg, “Well, I hope we will not regret your promise to Julia’s mother. Writing that book may end up costing you your life, my dear, if Boris Polyakov’s reach extends to Vermont.”

“Never mind, Anne. It is something I have to do, in spite of the Polyakovs and the FSB and all the arms traders and flesh merchants of the world.”

“Greg, I love you very much,” Anne said, pulling her husband to her and kissing him deeply.

***

Their last evening in Vienna, as a final thank you, Demeter took Greg, Anne, and Julia to dinner at Vestibul, the restaurant in the Burgtheater, right on the Ring. They were joined by Labrecque.

After the waiter poured the delicious Frizzante Quin Quin Schloss Eszterházy Demeter had ordered as an aperitif, the Interpol boss raised his glass. “Here’s to you Anne and Greg, first, for helping us find Julia, and then, at great peril to yourselves, for helping us break open this vile human trafficking trade. And to you, too, Julia, for your special role in that and also for stopping yet another heist.”

“Yes, thank you to all of you. And it was great working with you again. We make a great team,” Labrecque joined in. “But this will not really be behind us until we capture Polyakov. And that Brother Peter.”

“I suspect you’re right,” Anne concurred. “Especially if what we think is right, that they have at least the tacit support of Russian officials behind them.”

“Well, we may need you to come back one more time,” Demeter said with a little chuckle. “To help put those buggers behind bars once and for all.”

“Or incapacitate them like you did with that pervert Hetzel, Anne,” Labrecque added. “That was impressive, and he, at least, will never be the same again.”

“So, Nicholas, how much money do you reckon we managed to find on the premises of these criminals?” Greg asked, wanting to change the subject.

“We found just over eight million dollars in notes--both greenbacks and euros,” Labrecque answered. “Eight point three, to be exact. In the safe and stashed in various hiding places around the penthouse suite and on the yacht.”

“Wow! That’s a lot of cash to have hanging around.”

“And then there are the diamonds,” the French agent continued. “They should be worth another fifteen or so, once we monetize them. Plus the yacht itself--even used--should be worth a cool twenty-five million minimum if we sell it. Then there’s the penthouse suite--but let’s not get greedy. We’re looking at say a minimum of fifty million dollars in all. Most, but not all, for your foundation. Contributed involuntarily by these criminals.”

“That’s fabulous!” Julia exclaimed. “That should go a long way to help Nadia and the others.”

“Yes,” Greg said, “although some of these girls and their families will need a lot of support for quite a while.”

“Well, one thought would be to hold a certain amount back for legal costs,” Anne suggested. “As we discussed, to take Polyakov, Billy, and Hetzel before the ICJ once we have all of them in our hands. And demand some real reparations from them--track down all their ill-gotten gains--which could fund both this foundation and the other one we established for the child victims of the Soviet and post-Soviet nuclear program. It would give them a great cushion well into the future.”

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Greg said, not wanting to raise hopes too far.