chair. “Exactly who is the opposition?”
David shook his head, then eyed an employee standing within hearing range.
“Surely you must have some idea,” Rodney said.
“I'd rather not say yet. For now we need to keep moving. See if we can pick up a tail; then see where the tail leads us.”
Beth said, “David, could we visit the English Gardens? They were always so lovely.”
Rodney glared at her. “You're not here to sight-see.”
She smiled. “It might be a good place to check out whether we're being followed.”
Now David stood. “Pretty good idea for a civilian, huh, Rodney?”
Rodney stood too. “Okay. I have my own work to care of. Keep me informed of where you are. And I'll meet you at the safe house in Berchtesgaden tonight.”
David took her right arm and lifted her onto her feet. “We've got a lot of ground to cover.”
**
From the back of the taxi David kept a check on the rearview mirror. He'd been careful when they'd left the office, guiding Beth down twisting side streets until they'd come to a solitary cab waiting in front of a hotel. David had reminded Beth that they couldn't assume the driver didn't speak English. He had received a stony look for a reply and then radio silence had been maintained by Beth.
The taxi turned into the gardens and stopped. David paid the driver and offered Beth a hand out. She brushed his arm aside and climbed out herself.
“I apologize,” David said. “I'm not used to dealing with civilians who have had intelligence training.”
“I haven't had intelligence training. I have common sense.”
“You've worked for army intelligence. You know the score.”
“I certainly do, so you can stop treating me as a child.”
“Truce? I promise not to insult you if you promise not to be insulted.”
Beth nodded, then said, “Let's walk to the Chinesischen Turm. I remember it, as well as the Hellabrunn Tierpark.”
David reached for her arm to guide her and this time she didn't brush him off. As they walked toward the Chinese Tower and then the zoo, he barely noted the flower beds in full bloom, the grass cut, the paths not overcrowded with others. Instead his eyes swept their surroundings, looking for suspicious activity directed at them.
Within minutes they were in front of a monkey cage, the animals swinging from branch to branch, babies clasped to their mothers. No one except David and Beth stood before the cage admiring the monkeys.
Beth turned towards him. “David, I understand the ‘need to know’ principle. But couldn't you please tell me something of what's going on?”
David shook his head. “It's trite to say, but ignorance is protection for you.”
“Why come to Munich? Couldn't you have done all your research online via computer?”
Her backpack shifted against his arm. With his elbow he shoved it back in position, unwilling to release her arm.
“No, I couldn't. Much of our material from pre-computer days has not yet been inputted. And the East German material in Berlin is not computerized either. Also, there are a couple of people I want to check with.”
A whistling noise skittered past his ear. David's right hand stretched for his gun while his left hand, the one holding Beth's arm, shoved her behind the monkey cage. The monkeys jumped in agitation, yelping in their high-pitched voices.
“Stay down.” With no one else around, David had a clear target field towards the direction the shots were coming from. He squatted in front of Beth and squeezed off a couple of rounds, more a warning than actually an attempt to hit something he couldn't see. A few answering shots, then silence.
He holstered his gun and pulled Beth farther behind the cage and held her body to his. He could feel her trembling.
“Everything's fine,” he said.
“Being shot at AGAIN is fine!”
Beth pulled slightly away from him to look into his eyes. “David, can you teach me to shoot right now? I want to know how to shoot.”
David stood up, pulling Beth
David shook his head, then eyed an employee standing within hearing range.
“Surely you must have some idea,” Rodney said.
“I'd rather not say yet. For now we need to keep moving. See if we can pick up a tail; then see where the tail leads us.”
Beth said, “David, could we visit the English Gardens? They were always so lovely.”
Rodney glared at her. “You're not here to sight-see.”
She smiled. “It might be a good place to check out whether we're being followed.”
Now David stood. “Pretty good idea for a civilian, huh, Rodney?”
Rodney stood too. “Okay. I have my own work to care of. Keep me informed of where you are. And I'll meet you at the safe house in Berchtesgaden tonight.”
David took her right arm and lifted her onto her feet. “We've got a lot of ground to cover.”
**
From the back of the taxi David kept a check on the rearview mirror. He'd been careful when they'd left the office, guiding Beth down twisting side streets until they'd come to a solitary cab waiting in front of a hotel. David had reminded Beth that they couldn't assume the driver didn't speak English. He had received a stony look for a reply and then radio silence had been maintained by Beth.
The taxi turned into the gardens and stopped. David paid the driver and offered Beth a hand out. She brushed his arm aside and climbed out herself.
“I apologize,” David said. “I'm not used to dealing with civilians who have had intelligence training.”
“I haven't had intelligence training. I have common sense.”
“You've worked for army intelligence. You know the score.”
“I certainly do, so you can stop treating me as a child.”
“Truce? I promise not to insult you if you promise not to be insulted.”
Beth nodded, then said, “Let's walk to the Chinesischen Turm. I remember it, as well as the Hellabrunn Tierpark.”
David reached for her arm to guide her and this time she didn't brush him off. As they walked toward the Chinese Tower and then the zoo, he barely noted the flower beds in full bloom, the grass cut, the paths not overcrowded with others. Instead his eyes swept their surroundings, looking for suspicious activity directed at them.
Within minutes they were in front of a monkey cage, the animals swinging from branch to branch, babies clasped to their mothers. No one except David and Beth stood before the cage admiring the monkeys.
Beth turned towards him. “David, I understand the ‘need to know’ principle. But couldn't you please tell me something of what's going on?”
David shook his head. “It's trite to say, but ignorance is protection for you.”
“Why come to Munich? Couldn't you have done all your research online via computer?”
Her backpack shifted against his arm. With his elbow he shoved it back in position, unwilling to release her arm.
“No, I couldn't. Much of our material from pre-computer days has not yet been inputted. And the East German material in Berlin is not computerized either. Also, there are a couple of people I want to check with.”
A whistling noise skittered past his ear. David's right hand stretched for his gun while his left hand, the one holding Beth's arm, shoved her behind the monkey cage. The monkeys jumped in agitation, yelping in their high-pitched voices.
“Stay down.” With no one else around, David had a clear target field towards the direction the shots were coming from. He squatted in front of Beth and squeezed off a couple of rounds, more a warning than actually an attempt to hit something he couldn't see. A few answering shots, then silence.
He holstered his gun and pulled Beth farther behind the cage and held her body to his. He could feel her trembling.
“Everything's fine,” he said.
“Being shot at AGAIN is fine!”
Beth pulled slightly away from him to look into his eyes. “David, can you teach me to shoot right now? I want to know how to shoot.”
David stood up, pulling Beth
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