Black Wolf

“Bankers’ hours,” Flash told Da

Da

“I’m going to pull into the lot,” Da

“Yeah, copy that.”

“Nuri?”

“Right.”

A panel truck turned into the lot just ahead of Da

The truck finally pulled ahead. Da

“Subject exiting building.”

There he was, just ahead on the right. He was short and rotund, not particularly distinguished looking. If you were Hollywood, he thought, and you were going to cast someone in the role of assassin mastermind, Dr. Nudstrumov wouldn’t be it.

Nudstrumov glanced over his shoulder as he began walking to his car. Da

The doctor kept walking, his chubby legs stroking quickly. A car on Da

He looked back at the doctor. He was only a few meters from his car now. He had his keys in his left hand.

Suddenly the doctor seemed to spin to his left. Da

“Shit!” yelled Da

27

Chisinau, Moldova

The first shot had been low, deadly but not instantaneous lethal. The second hit home perfectly, exploding Nudstrumov’s skull.

A thing of beauty.

But the Black Wolf knew he couldn’t stop to admire it. He had to move.

He pulled the rifle back, quickly folding the stock and dropping it into the box. He slapped it closed and picked it up. He already had his backpack on.

A person got out of the car across the street, near the lot where he’d shot the doctor. The Black Wolf saw him through the window from the corner of his eye.

He turned and focused.

A black man.

Familiar.

Familiar. He focused—narrowed his vision so the man was right next to him, features large in his brain.

He was very, very familiar. Yet he couldn’t quite identify him.

Why did he know him?

No time for that: Go! Go! Go!

28

Chisinau, Moldova

Da

Or could be.

The shot had come from across the street. There was another building—several.

One of the rooftops.

“Da

“Somebody just shot the doctor. They must have been across the street.”

Da

“Where? Where?”

“From the roof, maybe. It had to be a rifle—the shot came down from above, and it was pretty high-powered. There’s no one in the lot that could have shot him.”

Da

He reached inside his jacket for his Beretta, then thought better of it. If the police responded and saw a man with a gun, they’d jump to conclusions—and shoot before asking questions.

There were three buildings, all butting up against each other. All three were five-story buildings. There were storefronts on the ground floor, offices and apartments above.

Would there be a fire escape?

He walked quickly to the end of the block, turned, then began to trot. An alley ran behind the buildings. He turned down it.

“Da

“I’m behind the buildings across the street. Just east of the lot.”

“I’m turning down the side street now,” said Flash. “I’ll be behind you.”

“Good.”

The alley was lined with garbage cans and old cars. There were balconies on the right, fire escapes on the left. Two children were playing soccer at the far end, banging the ball against a rusted chain-link fence.

Da

How long would it take a shooter to get down from the roof or one of the upper apartments?

A minute, maybe two, assuming he pla

But where would he have gone? No one had passed him. The buildings on the right, though only three and two stories, were packed shoulder-to-shoulder. To get past them you’d have to go through them. Or maybe over them.

He turned so he had the back of the building in view and sidled in the direction of the kids. Any second, the killer could appear over the side.

Da

“I need words to ask the children if they saw someone,” Da

The computer spat out a phrase. Da

A window flew open behind him. Da

A head popped out. Da

But it was a woman, yelling at him.

“What’s she saying? Translate mode,” Da

“Unknown. Repeat.”

“Give me the Moldovan for ‘Did you see anything?’ ”

MY-PID gave him the proper phrase. Da

“The words are unclear,” said MY-PID. “The language is not Moldovan. It appears to be a Russian dialect, but too distant to hear.”

The woman pointed upward. As Da

“The police are on their way,” Nuri said over the radio.

Da

“I’ll get your car out of there,” Nuri said. “Don’t stay too long.”

Da