Black Rose

CHAPTER 15

Zurich in winter was everything the tourist magazines said it was, a picture-perfect example of old world Europe. Six inches of fresh snow lay over everything, turning the city into a calendar shot for the travel agents.

The safe house was a five story building in the Aussersihl, a district of residential buildings and shops lying between the Sihl river and the train station. Lamont sat down on a low couch and surveyed the room.

"Beats the place we got in India," he said.

"Harker borrowed it from Langley."

"I wonder if she sees Hood outside of work," Lamont said.

"Like a couple, you mean?"

"Why not?"

Nick shook his head. "I can't picture that."

"What's the plan?" Ronnie asked.

"Pick rooms and get settled in. Check the gear and contact Harker. See if there's anything to eat in the kitchen."

"We passed a market on the corner," Selena said.

"I want to stay in as much as possible. The locals might assume we're tourists but we stand out. No need to call more attention to ourselves than we have to. Selena, you speak the language. If we need something, you'll have to get it."

"No problem. I can pass for German, they won't think anything of that."

"I'll set up the comm," Lamont said.

"Let's unpack the weapons," Nick said.

They had four MP-5s with thirty round clips and extra ammo for each. There were eight kilos of C-4, enough to take out a fair sized target.

They had vests that would stop most pistol rounds, though a .45 would knock the wearer down. The vests weren't always proof against a Kalashnikov or FN but they were a lot better than nothing. They were uncomfortable and heavy. If things worked as they should, they wouldn't need them. But things didn't always go as planned. When it was time to go in, they'd wear the vests.

Lamont activated the comm link and brought Stephanie on line. Her image was clear on the screen of their laptop.

"I've located Schmidt," she said. "He lives in an exclusive apartment building in the north central part of the city, north of the lake. Krivi has a villa on the eastern side. Very upscale."

"Have you figured out where Schmidt works?" Nick asked.

"No. I haven't spotted him. A lot of people go in and out of his building and the satellite isn't always in position. You're going to have to put eyes on him. There's a garage in his building where he keeps his car. The registration says it's a red BMW 635, a classic. The number is ZH 478664."

"Okay."

"I'm sending you the locations of the laboratories. It's possible the samples are in a lab on the second floor of Krivi's corporate headquarters, but I'm leaning toward another location, just outside the city. That makes more sense to me. It's out of town, private, and there's plenty of room for a bio-containment set up. I'm sending a picture and the architectural plans."

The plans and address scrolled out of a printer Lamont had set up on the dining table next to the open laptop.

"That's great work, Steph."

"It was easy. The plans are a matter of public record. The picture comes from the corporate website. I think it's probably the best bet, but you need to confirm it."

"If Schmidt goes there tomorrow, we'll check it out after everyone's gone home."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Good hunting," Stephanie said. She broke the connection.