Worst Fears Realized

63

THE FOUR MEN RAN DOWN THE HALLWAY, shoving travelers out of the way, and burst into the second departure lounge. It was empty, except for a young woman at the ticket counter.

Warren ran up to her. “How long has the flight been gone?” he demanded, flashing a badge.

She looked at her watch. “Twenty minutes,” she said.

“Oh, no.” Stone groaned.

Warren grabbed a telephone and punched in a number. “Tower? This is Sam Warren, head of security; let me speak to a supervisor.” He waited for a moment. “This is Sam Warren in security; I’m at Gate Eighteen; Flight 104 to Berlin taxied from the Gate Twenty minutes ago. Is it still on the ground?” He waited again. “Great! Have it return to the gate; tell the pilot to announce a mechanical problem that will take only a few minutes to fix; tell the passengers they’ll have to get off the airplane, but they can leave their belongings.” He hung up. “It’s on the way back to the gate,” he said to the group. “I’m going to have all the passengers deplane, and we can check them as they get off.” He turned to the woman at the desk. “I want you to check them off the manifest as they leave the airplane. Don’t let anybody get past you.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

The four men caught their breath while they waited for the airplane to return to the gate. Dino dispatched Andy Anderson to have his other men check the other German flights.

“I hope to God this is the flight,” Dino said, pacing up and down the lounge.

“He’s stuck with his initials so far; why should he change now?” Stone said.

More minutes passed. “Here comes the airplane,” Sam Warren said, pointing out the window.

Anderson came back. “The other German flights are clean,” he said. “If this isn’t the one, then well have to search all the international flights.”

Warren got on his radio. “Base, this is Warren; you can release all the flights to Germany, except 104; we’re checking that now.”

Other cops arrived and took up positions at the gate. Stone and Dino walked down the flexible ramp and were waiting at the aircraft door when it was opened from inside by a flight attendant.

Stone and Dino took up positions on each of the two aisles and searched the faces of the passengers making their way toward the exit.

Stone emptied his mind of all the faces except those of young men with very short hair and small middle-aged men. He had the feeling he was very close to Mitteldorfer, and he watched each passenger’s face for signs of tension or recognition. Mostly, he saw fatigue and annoyance; then he locked eyes momentarily with a young man. He was short, stocky, wearing baggy black clothing, and, disappointingly, he had long hair. He looked away from Stone and continued up the aisle.

Stone had shifted his attention to passengers farther down the aisle when he heard a woman scream and a scuffle behind him. He was turning to see what the matter was when he experienced a hard blow to his left shoulder. His initial reaction was surprise at how much pain the blow was causing. He continued turning to find the young man in black with his fist raised above his head. He tried to raise his left arm to ward off the blow and, to his shock, could not. Everything was happening in slow motion.

He saw now that the young man held a small knife in his raised fist, and he was bringing it down toward Stone’s face. As he did, the young man suddenly jerked and fell sideways, as if someone had yanked him. Blood spurted from his neck, and only then did Stone hear the gunshot. He turned to see Dino, his arm outstretched, a pistol in his hand.

Passengers were screaming; some threw themselves to the floor, others rushed past or over them, trying desperately to get off the airplane. Dino fought his way across the cabin, gun in hand, pointed down at the prostrate figure of the young man, who was twitching and grimacing. Beside him, in the aisle, Stone saw a bloody kitchen knife with a four-inch blade.

“Get these people out of here!” Dino shouted to Sam Warren. “I want the airplane cleared, and I want medical assistance here now!” As the last of the passengers rushed past them, Dino finally got to Stone. “Sit down,” he said.

“What?”

“Sit down right here in this seat; you’ve been stabbed. Wait a minute; first get your coat off.”

Stone got out of his jacket and was astonished to find the left sleeve soaked with blood. He’d had no sensation of the knife, just a blow to the shoulder.

“Where’d he get a knife?” Stone asked. “How’d he get it through the metal detectors?”

“From the galley,” Dino said. “I saw him go for it, but I couldn’t get a shot; there were too many people between him and me.”

A flight attendant approached. “We’ve called for assistance,” she said. “I’m sorry about the knife; I was slicing limes in the first-class galley, and…”

“It’s all right,” Stone said. “It’s not your fault.” He turned to Dino. “I saw the guy pass me, but the hair…”

Dino went to the young man and tugged at his hair; the wig came away in his hand. He felt for a pulse. “He’s dead. Didn’t I mention the wig?” Dino asked.

“No, you didn’t.”

“The doorman reported that Hausman had grown hair overnight. Sorry, I forgot to pass that on. I was driving.”

“Forget it,” Stone said. He was feeling a little weak.

The flight attendant brought a clean towel and pressed it against the back of Stone’s shoulder. “Just lean back against the seat,” she said. “That will hold the towel in place.”

“You okay here?” Dino asked. “I want to search the rest of the airplane.”

“I’m okay,” Stone replied.

Dino beckoned to Sam Warren. They walked aft in the airplane, checking under seats and in the toilets. Shortly, Dino returned. “How you doing?”

“I’m fine, Dino; when can we get out of here?”

“You’re going to have to go to the emergency room,” Dino said.

“Well, I’m not going in an ambulance; you can drive me.”

“All right,” Dino said. “Miss?” he said to the flight attendant. “Can you get me a wheelchair?”

“I don’t need a wheelchair,” Stone said. “I can walk.”

“I’m not going to have you walking through the airport, covered with blood, then passing out in front of everybody,” Dino said.

“Did you get Mitteldorfer?” Stone asked.

“I didn’t see him; Andy and his people are checking the lounge and the corridors now. He may have made it out during the excitement.”

Two security people arrived with a stretcher and took Peter Hausman’s body away, leaving Stone and Dino alone on the airplane.

“You just sit tight,” Dino said. “I’m going to go find a wheelchair, then we’ll get you out of here.” He left Stone alone on the airplane.

Stone was feeling better after the shock of learning that he had been stabbed had passed. Twenty minutes had passed since the excitement, and he was even feeling a little drowsy. He pushed the recline button on his seat, which was at the rear of the first-class compartment, and tucked a pillow under his head. At least he could rest until they got him out of here.

Stone was nearly asleep when he heard the sound, which was very like snoring. He opened his eyes. How could he be snoring, when he wasn’t even asleep, yet? The sound persisted. Stone pressed a button, and his seat returned to a sitting position. He could still hear the snoring, and it seemed to be coming from behind him somewhere.

He got to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and began to make his way down the aisle toward the rear of the airplane, listening. The snoring grew louder. Well back into the tourist section of the airplane, he stopped and looked up and to his left. The large overhead bin was closed. He reached up and opened it, then took Dino’s.38 from his belt and stepped back.

The snoring was coming from a raincoat stashed in the overhead bin. With the short gun barrel, Stone moved the coat out of the way. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a small beard lay on his back in the compartment, snoring loudly. At first, Stone didn’t recognize him.

Dino came back aboard the airplane, pushing a wheelchair. “Hey!” he called to Stone. “What are you doing back there? You shouldn’t be on your feet!”

“Come back here,” Stone called to him, “and bring your cuffs.”

Mitteldorfer jerked awake at the sound of Stone’s voice. He turned and looked at Stone, and recognition distorted his face. “You!” he screamed.

“Me!” Stone shouted back at him.