Chapter 30

The simple fact was, the owner of the house refused to meet with them unless one simple demand was met. They both had to change into bathing suits. Barbara immediately rejected the demand but, Jake grabbed her arm and drug her along to the changing rooms. The simple fact that they were escorted by grenadiers, of the Whermacht, for the entire way, told Jake that he wanted to meet with this guy. The bathing suit that had been laid out for him was not as revealing as the one for Barbara either. It made the situation far more tolerable, or at least, from Jake’s point of view.

When Jake met with her, in the hall just outside the changing rooms, Jake looked over the very self conscious Barbara and said, “not bad.”

Barbara slapped him on the arm and not in a friendly way, “eyes front, Barton!” As the corporal led them back towards the rear of the house, Barbara stewed the entire way. She was not kidding when she said, “I would never be caught dead in something like this.”

Jake got a little closer to her as he walked and tilted his head in her direction, “yeah well don’t let this clown know that. I get the feeling the entire purpose is to make us uncom…” Jake stopped at the open window door and took in the sight in front of him. It was not just an open pool area that was directly off the rear balcony, it was something right out of an ancient Greek landscape. There was a waterfall flowing over rocks that eventually dropped into the pool. There were marble columns set around an expensive tiled deck. There were classical looking statues that spewed water from their mouths. In fact, the only thing that looked out of the place was the guy who was sunning himself on a lounge chair.

As they walked up to the man, Jake was not even sure he was seeing this right. It was hard to recognize the guy without his fancy uniform on. He was actually wearing sun glasses and a bathing suit. He had a magazine in front of him and a drink beside. The man ordered up two more drinks and then offered his guests a seat. In his very neutral sounding English, Johan Horst told his guests, “not exactly who I would be expecting to pay me a visit.”

Barbara elected to remain standing and very self conscious as well. She could see that Horst was eagerly looking her over. On the other hand, and it was a bit surprising to Barbara, Jake completely ignored her and got down to business. Jake had not even taken a second look as he sat down on another lounge chair and told the German Colonel, “yeah Horst, why is it I’m not surprised to find you here.”
Horst set aside his magazine and propped his glasses up over his eyes, “am I to infer, Major Barton, that you would actually go to someone’s house and not know who it is you are even visiting? You Americans have peculiar customs.”

Jake took the drink that was brought to him. He nodded to the guy who brought it and then raised a glass to Horst in appreciation. After a sip he then told the colonel, “well I do when it’s a part of an official investigation.”

“Oh?” Horst seemed to not be the least bit interested, “and exactly what investigation would that be?”

“Nothing big,” Jake replied, “or at least I thought nothing big until I wound up here on your doorstep.”

Horst was not the least bit amused. He looked up at Barbara, again, only this time he actually made eye contact, “Agent Reilly, have you not yet learned to keep your American’s on a leash? We Germans find that it can, so, un-complicate matters in the extreme.”
Barbara was doing her best not to look angry. She sniffed, she huffed, she adjusted her weight, and then she told the man, “two hit men tried to kill a young girl earlier today. We’re investigating the matter.”

“Oh I see,” Horst replied, “that is a tragic thing. I still fail to see what that has to do with me. Of course, if you believe it’s a state matter then I suggest you take it up with my office.”

Jake chuckled and told the guy, “I don’t think you know the first thing about it Horst. Even if it was your people that did it, and I don’t believe that for a minute, then you still wouldn’t know anything about it just to keep your hands clean.”

“I’m sorry Major,” Horst told him, “I must have missed this episode of NYPD Crime. What exactly are you saying here?”

“Oh well,” Jake replied, “it’s simple really. Not knowing and not having anything to do with it are two different things. For starters, lets talk about all those troops you got sitting on the street corners and looking like they’re waiting for orders to kick ass that we both know ain’t never coming.”

“Ah,” Horst straightened up in seat and then said, “so we get to the real reason you’re here. The Governor or the US State Department sent you and this is some ploy to convince me not to take measures to protect my men in the case of a terrorist incident like the one…”

“Go blow Horst,” Jake replied. “Your troops movements don’t have anything to do with a bunch of terrorists that we both know don’t exist.”

Horst looked very serious when he asked the question, “then who killed my men, Major?”

For a second, Jake almost believed the guy cared. Then Jake realized that caring about his troops and making money were not mutually exclusive, “nobody told us you were here Horst. I didn’t even know you’d be at the end of the rainbow till I walked out here.” Then Jake revised his statement by adding, “well your home security system was a clue. You know? All those guys in Euro pattern cammo and walking around with assault rifles.”

Horst was not a bit confused, “what are you saying Major?”

“Let’s start with the waivers like the one it took for you to land this slick pad of yours,” Jake told him. Then he added the important details, “something about foreigners purchasing colonial real estate. You know they have to get special permission for that. I think it’s one reason why the treaty set it up so that a local was actually the governor. In America we call that checks and balances.”

Horst acted unimpressed, “so I bought a house. It’s not exactly an international incident Major.”

“If that was all your people were buying,” Jake replied without missing a beat. “I got to admit Horst, quite a nice touch. You’re using that attack as a pretext to get militarily aggressive. Not enough to trigger an American intervention but, just enough to put pressure on Crass, oh yeah, and scare the bejezus out of local business owners. That way the Governor will do what she can to placate you, all the while, the price on property is falling like a rock cause everybody thinks you’re about to blow it all up.”

Horst was still unimpressed. It seemed to be his natural state or, at least, it was when dealing with Americans, “your point is?”

Jake went on like Horst had never asked his question, “you know the only part I haven’t quite figured out here is, where the cash is coming from. I mean the State Department would be howling their asses off if they saw large sums of off world money flooding the local economy. I guess you’d have to do this quietly. Maybe, like through a local company called PBS? You’d have to use money you already control though. You know? Money that’s already on world like, say, from the sales of certain illicit substances specifically banned by the treaty of Beta Canaan?”

Now it was clear that Jake had his attention but, only a little. So Jake added his next suspicion into the mix, “and I’m wondering what
Berlin might think about that. They might want to audit all that money one day.” Jake took a thoughtful pose, “I’d dare say some other certain German military types, not exactly Wehrmacht, might just add that in their reports, if they haven’t already.”

Horst took off his glasses and sat up very erect. He was not too happy when he asked, “what do you want Barton?”

As the two men got to talking, Barbara began to feel more like an ornament than anything else. She also felt a little sick as she listened to the American talking about the well being of her home with a German, neither of whom had any business doing it. When you put the two together, it was enough to convince her to stomp off, put her clothes back on, and then wait for Jake by the car.

What Barbara found at the vehicle infuriated her all the more. When Jake came strollin out, happy as a clam, Barbara was anything but. A bullet had damaged the lock on the trunk and it was jarred slightly open. That alone would have been enough to send her blood pressure up but, it was the contents of the trunk that put the scowl on her face. Jake was still smiling when he put out his hands, shrugged, and said, “what is it?”

Without so much as a word, Barbara lifted up the trunk and pointed inside. Jake’s smile vanished, “I can explain that.”

Now Barbara exploded, “you know it’s bad enough that you and Norm seemed to have just cut me completely out of the loop on this whole affair. It’s not even tolerable that you and that Nazi thug, in there, are cooperating in what is the apparent rape of my colony, while I have to stand around exposing myself…”

“Wait a minute,” Jake raised a finger, “when did you figure out the part about me and Norm?”

Barbara crossed her arms and her face turned even more red than before, “do you think I’m stupid, Barton? You obviously do because, despite my direct orders, you and Norm have obviously decided too…”

“Direct orders?” Jake blinked when he said it. He sounded very confused when he repeated himself, “did you just say direct orders?

Barbara, maybe it’s time you figured something out here. I’m in charge. You don’t have to like that but it’s how it is.”

“Oh,” Barbara rolled her head in a smug way, “well if that’s a road you want to go down it’s one that I’m prepared, and quite capable of, fighting.”

Jake squared off with her and raised his voice, “I’m not interested in fighting with you Barbara. There is this little thing called teamwork. You ever heard of it?”

“When you have a team Barton,” Barbara was more rational but, she was not backing down, “first you have to trust the people on it. I don’t trust you.”

“You’re not even trying,” Jake blurted out in a very hostile tone. “Sides all that, this isn’t about trust. This is about control. You got everybody at that station so afraid of you that nobody is willing to tell you the truth.”

Still not backing down, Barbara asked, “which is?”

“That you’re just a controlling bitch,” Jake said it without batting an eye.

“I should slap you for that,” was all Barbara had to say.

“Which is not a denial,” Jake pointed out. “How the hell can you lead somebody if they’re afraid to ever tell you anything. You know on top of all that Barbara, those people love you too. They’re just too damn scared to let you know it because they’re tried of constantly getting shot down for it.”

Her nose twitched. Jake also noticed one eye quiver and Barbara even began to shake a little. Jake got even closer and said, “don’t just slap me. If you want to resort to violence, pull out your gun and let’s finish this right here and now. If we’re going to get blood all over something I’d prefer it to be on Horst’s front lawn.”

Barbara went from shaking and anger to a sudden and unexpected laugh. When she got the giggle fit under control she said, “I should really shoot you for that.”

Jake was a little confused about all of it, “for which part?”

“Making me laugh,” Barbara blurted out in half humor and half fury. After she settled down and took a deep breath she composed herself and then pointed back at the trunk, “I can’t afford a new one. I’m not forgetting about this.”

Jake bounced around uncomfortably and then replied, “um, well we can fix it.”

Barbara grunted in frustration, “Barton! There’s bullet holes in my water pump! How the hell are you going to fix that?”

Jake blinked as he pulled his ringing phone from his pocket, “I already have.”