9:56 a.m. (Local Time)
Barcelona, Spain
Hotel Barcelona Universal
Two black 4X4 Land Rover Freelanders were waiting for Hardy and his team when the Gulfstream V touched down at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport. He and Cruz led the way to Barcelona in one vehicle, and Dahlia and Charity followed in the other.
Parked in front of a McDonald’s restaurant on Avinguda del Paral·lel, wrist on the steering wheel, Hardy stared across the street at the Hotel Barcelona Universal. Clockwise from him sat Cruz, Charity and Dahlia. During the drive from the airport, Charity had briefed everyone on Kimmler’s whereabouts.
Using her and Dahlia’s algorithms, Charity determined—with a ninety-three percent accuracy rating—the man caught on camera walking through El Prat was Richard Kimmler. He rented a car and drove to this hotel, checking in at 6:19 last night. Forty minutes later, he drove to a desolate location northwest of Caldes de Montbui, an hour north of Barcelona. Charity got a hit on the man’s credit card at 11:34 p.m. at the hotel’s lounge. Tapping into security cameras, she saw him entering his room five minutes later, where he stayed until morning.
Charity pushed her eyeglasses further up her nose. “Kimmler used the exercise room at six-thirty this morning and left the hotel an hour later. At 8:16, he used his credit card at…” she squinted, “Los Cachitos. By 8:30, he was back at the hotel. I’ve been monitoring the cameras and he hasn’t left his room.”
Hardy spied his watch—9:59. “You say he has a flight scheduled to take off at one?”
Charity pressed the ALT & TAB keys. “It’s a one-ten flight to Liverpool.”
Still staring at the watch, Hardy thought aloud. “He’s going to want to get to the airport by noon. It was about a twenty-minute drive from there to here.” He bobbed his head. “I would think he’d want to leave by eleven-thirty at the latest.”
Dahlia leaned forward. “We can’t let him get on that plane. There were four-plus hours unaccounted for last night.” Using GPS, Charity had tracked Kimmler’s rental car, but there were no cameras at the destination. “He came to this country for a reason. We need to know that reason.”
Cruz faced Hardy. “We’ve got an hour and a half to figure something out.”
“I say we knock on his door,” said Dahlia, “stick a gun in his face and start asking questions.”
He glimpsed her in the rearview mirror and smiled inwardly. Always a hammer in search of a nail. I’m going to have to teach you the finer points of this business. “No, that won’t work, Dahlia. I don’t believe Dr. Kimmler will be too forthcoming with answers. He’ll need to be persuaded, and that—”
She raised a hand. “If you’re looking for volunteers, persuasion is a specialty of mine. Plus, I’d love a crack at the man who tried to kill me…twice.”
Hardy shook his head. “We need privacy. A hotel room is anything but.” They sat in silence for a few minutes. The only sounds were breathing and Charity’s fingers tapping on a keyboard. He pivoted in the seat and squinted at her. “You know the make, model and license plate of Kimmler’s rental?” She nodded. “Where is it right now?”
“It’s at a parking structure around the corner, Saba…Bamsa…”
Hardy turned back, thinking of the equipment he had requested to be included with the Freelanders. Charity finished pronouncing the name and told him the location was two minutes away. Closing one eye, he observed Cruz for a few moments. “Let’s stretch our legs.” He pointed toward the backseat. “You two stay with the car. Cherry, keep an eye on your laptop and wait for my call.”
...
Hardy and Cruz entered the parking garage. Fifteen minutes later, they found Kimmler’s rental. His head scanning all directions, Hardy reached into a coat pocket, “Keep watch,” and took a knee beside the left-front tire. Cruz had her back to him, pretending to use her cell phone. Hardy attached a device to the inside of the tire’s rim, gave the tiny object a tug and stood. After another scan of the area, he dialed Charity and gave her instructions.
“I have a strong signal, Hardy. You’re good to go.”
He stowed the mobile and took Cruz’s elbow. “Cherry says we’re good. Let’s go.”
They crossed Avinguda del Paral·lel and strode down the sidewalk, the chunky two-inch heels of Cruz’s black knee boots clicking off the concrete. Hardy looked up at a sign for a Subway restaurant. “We should come here sometime.”
Cruz followed his gaze. “We have lots of Subways back home.”
He chuckled. “No, I mean—”
“I know what you meant.” She took in the scene. “Not bad, but I think there are places we haven’t seen yet in the good old U.S. of A.”
Hardy thought of all the countries he had visited in the last few years. All of them involved a mission. He had not spent a single moment as a tourist. Once he was home, the idea of flying to somewhere outside the United States—or D.C. for that matter—lost its allure. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
The Land Rover’s front doors slammed, and Dahlia got Hardy’s attention. “I don’t get it. We don’t need another tracking device on the car.” She gestured toward her backseat teammate. “Cherry can do that from the laptop through GPS.”
Hardy distributed tiny communication devices and outlined his plan before sending Dahlia and Charity to the other SUV, parked around the corner. A few minutes passed before he saw the McDonald’s sign in the passenger side mirror. “You hungry? I could grab some chicken nuggets.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.”
He tapped out a tune on his thighs for a moment before gawking at Cruz. She spotted him. “So,” he said. The word was a complete sentence. “We have some time before Kimmler leaves for the airport.”
She noticed the glimmer in his eye.
He eased the seat back. “You want to make out?”
She crossed her legs, shifted weight to one hip and lifted an eyebrow. “You’re—”
A voice sounded in their ears. “If you’re going to do that,” said Dahlia, “please have the decency to shut off your coms.”
“Oops,” Hardy’s hand shot to his ear, “my bad. And, I was only kidding by the way. We’re on an op. How unprofessional do you think I am?” She started to answer, but he cut her off. “That was a rhetorical question. Let me know when you’re in the car and ready to go.”