The Alexandria Link

Flashing lights appeared at the far end of the block and stopped before Haddad’s house.

“Cotton?”

“I know. Let’s just get out of here.”

He knew what she wanted. When they’d returned to the apartment he’d noticed, too. No blood on the wall. None on the floor. No suffocating stench of death.

And the bodies of Eve and George Haddad were gone.

TWENTY-SEVEN

RHINE VALLEY, GERMANY

5:15 PM

SABRE STARED AT THE TOWERING MOUNDS THAT ENGULFED THE river’s edge. Steeply scarped banks lined both sides of the narrow gap. Deciduous forests abounded, the hillsides relieved only by sparse green scrub and gangly grapevines. For nearly seven hundred years the highest elevations had supported fortresses with names like Rheinstein, Sooneck, and Pfalz. Rounding the treacherous turn of the Loreley, where ships once foundered on rocks and rapids, high atop the river’s east bank he spied the rounded keep of Burg Katz. Farther on stood Stolzenfels, the tawny tint of its two-century-old limestone barely discernible. The final marker on his journey appeared a few minutes later.

The unmistakable outline of Marksburg.

He’d left Rothenburg two hours ago and followed the autobahn north, maintaining a constant ninety miles an hour, slowed only on the outskirts of Frankfurt, where he’d caught the begi

An entrance ramp appeared and he sped onto the superhighway. He revved the rented BMW’s engine and settled into the far-left lane. A patchwork quilt of hills, woods, and pasture rolled out on either side.

He glanced in the rearview mirror.

His tail, a silver Mercedes, was still there.

Back a respectable distance and shielded by three cars, the Mercedes could easily have gone u

He loved the way Germans built superhighways-three wide lanes, few curves, sparse exits. Perfect for speed and privacy. A sign informed him that Cologne lay eighty-two kilometers ahead. He knew his position. Just south of Koblenz, fifteen kilometers east of the Rhine, the Mosel River fast approaching.

He switched lanes.

Farther back, beyond the Mercedes, he noticed four more vehicles.

Right on time.

Nine years he’d been searching for the Library of Alexandria, and all on behalf of the Blue Chair. The old man was obsessed with finding whatever was out there, and initially he’d thought the search ridiculous. But as he’d learned more, he’d come to realize that the goal wasn’t as far-fetched as he’d first thought. Lately he’d begun to think there might even be something to find. The Israelis were certainly engrossed. Alfred Herma

For himself.

He’d sensed months ago that this may be his opportunity. He could only hope Cotton Malone was resourceful enough to avoid whatever the Israelis threw at him in London. They’d moved fast. Always did. But from everything he knew, and had witnessed, Malone was an expert, albeit out of practice. He should be able to handle the situation.

The viaduct appeared ahead.

He watched the first of the four sedans pass the silver Mercedes, change lanes, and abruptly position itself in front.

Two more cars quickly paralleled the Mercedes in the left lane.

Another hugged its bumper.

They all raced onto the bridge.

The span stretched more than half a mile, the Mosel River meandering eastward four hundred feet below. Halfway, exactly as Sabre had instructed, the lead car braked and the silver Mercedes reacted, pounding its brakes.

Just as that happened, the two adjacent cars slammed the driver’s side and the car following rammed the bumper.

The combination of blows, along with speed, forced the Mercedes rightward, onto the guardrail.

In an instant the car became airborne.

Sabre imagined what was happening.

The torque from its upward acceleration would force the occupants back into their seats. They’d probably fumble for the seat-belt releases, but would never have the chance to release them. And if they did, where would they go? The four-hundred-foot fall would take a few seconds, and the jolt of the car’s undercarriage slamming into the river would be like hitting concrete. Nothing would survive. Icy water seeping into the cabin would quickly send the hulk to the muddy bottom, where eventually the current would drag it east toward the even swifter Rhine.

Gone.

The four cars passed and the driver in the rear vehicle tossed him a wave. He returned the gesture. These men had been expensive, short notice and all, but worth every euro.

He kept speeding north toward Cologne.

It would take the Israelis a few days to determine what had happened. A problem was dead in Rothenburg and their field team was missing. He wondered if he’d been identified. Probably not. If they knew his identity, then why waste time taking pictures? No. He was still an unknown commodity.

Confusion reigned. In Israel and, soon, in Austria.

He liked that.

Time to convert that chaos into order.

TWENTY-EIGHT

WASHINGTON, DC

STEPHANIE WONDERED WHAT HER NEW COMPANION HAD pla

“How do we get out of here?” she asked, as they trotted down the mall.

“You have any ideas?”

Actually she did, but she said nothing. “You’re the one who appeared out of nowhere.”

Cassiopeia smiled. “No need to be a smart-ass.”

“We’re being herded. I assumed you knew that.”

The Lincoln Memorial loomed ahead at the west end of the mall. The Reflecting Pool blocked any retreat southward. To the north, tall trees lined a busy boulevard.

“Contrary to what you and Henrik believe,” she said, “I’m not helpless. I have two agents on Constitution Avenue. I had just hit the panic button when you showed up.”

“Bad news. Those two men left.”

“What do you mean?”

“Right after you sat down with Dixon. They drove off.”

The mall ended at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. She looked back. The two pursuers had stopped their advance.

“Apparently we’re where they want us.”

A taxi roared toward them from the direction of Independence Avenue.

“About time,” Cassiopeia said, waving a black handkerchief.

The cab stopped and they leaped inside.

“I called a few minutes ago.” Cassiopeia slammed the rear door and said to the driver, “Just drive around. We’ll tell you when to let us out.”

The cab sped away.

Stephanie plunged a hand into her pocket and found her cell phone. She dialed the number for the agents she’d positioned as backup. Two men were about to be fired.

“You want to tell me why you left me there?” she calmly said into the phone when it was answered.

“We were ordered away,” the man said.

“I’m your boss. Who contradicts me?”

“Your boss.”