Nemesis: Innocence Sold
Read Nemesis: Innocence Sold Online
Authors: Stefanie Ross
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2014 Stefanie Ross
Translation copyright © 2016 Peter Sean Woltemade
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Previously published as
Nemesis
by Amazon Publishing in Germany in 2014. Translated from German by Peter Sean Woltemade. First published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2016.
Published by AmazonCrossing, Seattle
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and AmazonCrossing are trademarks of
Amazon.com
, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781503952683
ISBN-10: 1503952681
Cover design by Edward Bettison
CONTENTS
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
HAMBURG
Daniel Eddings
, a US Navy SEAL, a doctor of medicine, and an explosives expert with some unresolved family issues. Purchasing a pizza takes his life in a completely new direction.
Sandra Meinke
, a detective dissatisfied with her job and life in general—until she meets Daniel.
Stephan Reimers
, superintendent and the head of the Hamburg police drug department.
Martin Meinke
, Sandra’s brother, who has not told her the entire truth about his job. He’s often found with
Kaspar
, his German shepherd, who happens to have the same name as Stephan’s assistant in the drug department but is considerably more dangerous.
Shara
, a doctor, Stephan’s wife, and Mark Rawlins’s sister.
Dirk Richter
, an accountant who has been working for the Hamburg LKA (State Office of Criminal Investigation) for some time.
Alex Groß
, Dirk’s wife.
Sven Klein
, inspector at the Hamburg LKA and Dirk’s partner.
Britta
, Sven’s wife.
Herbert Tannhäuser
, the Hamburg chief of police, who has his hands full dealing with the unconventional behavior of his employees.
Lars Hoffman
, detective in the drug department.
Kat (Katharina) Schlegel
, Lars’s partner, both personally and professionally.
Matthias Albers
, friend of Sandra and others. Special identifying characteristic: never encountered without sweets.
And then:
Walter Weinreich
, a well-known publisher with the wrong priorities.
Michael Kerlinski
, a private detective who temporarily loses his perspective and nerve.
Andi Pohl
and his wife,
Anna
, only make brief appearances this time.
And in particular:
Stanko
, a mysterious friend of Stephan, who, after an unusual beginning, finally provides decisive help in identifying the criminals and who surely has not appeared among the LKA and SEALs for the last time.
THE CRIMINALS
At the very top,
Götz Paulsen
, who believes he has everything—including the police—under control; however, only two members of the police force, in Lübeck, are on his payroll:
Blumenthal
and
Killinger
. Two rich, spoiled “boys” also appear and ultimately land in prison, and there are numerous henchmen who do not escape their just punishments.
LÜBECK POLICE OFFICERS
Volker Lüttgens
creates an entirely false impression at first.
Mario Berger
is not what he appears to be but is quickly found out.
Hannes Wartberg
works with Berger and must learn from Sandra what it means to be a part of a team.
Angela Liebe
, captain on the island of Fehmarn with unusual methods and an unusual driving style and a love for tea and beer.
Walter Röhrich
, captain and enthusiastic community gardener whose hesitant action almost has fatal consequences.
SEAL TEAM
Mark Rawlins
, team leader of the US Navy SEALs for whom the mission in Afghanistan comes at the worst possible time.
Laura
, his wife.
Jake Fielding
, assistant team leader, close friend, and husband of Mark’s sister Lisa.
Pat O’Reilly
, chief who magically attracts difficulties.
Dr. Maria Kelling
, his significant other.
Tom Bannings
, chief, language genius, and intelligence expert and Daniel’s partner on the team.
James “Fox” Huntington
, senior chief of impressive size and muscularity.
CHAPTER 1
She had had enough. She had really had enough. Sandra Meinke watched the raindrops rattling on the windshield of her unmarked police car, which denied her a clear view of the target. Couldn’t just one thing go according to plan? Anything. She started when the passenger door was yanked open and then heaved a sigh of relief. This could be the longed-for ray of hope.
“Crappy weather,” Matthias Albers said. Biting into a cookie, he sat in the passenger seat, which creaked distinctly under his not-inconsiderable weight. “Hi, Sandra. Long time no see.” A cookie wrapper landed on the dashboard.
“True—it’s been, what, two hours? Or who was the guy who looked just like you with cookies in his hand at the briefing?”
“That wasn’t a meeting as I imagine one. The old man says hello—we can stop for the day. In this weather you’re going to need somebody who can get closer to take over the stakeout, and I’m not back on until tomorrow morning.”
Sandra wrinkled her brow in disbelief. The decision sounded much too reasonable, and reason wasn’t a defining characteristic of her superior, Captain Kahl, who was in charge of this investigation. She had imagined that she’d be spending the next few hours in her car, even if it was pointless.
“Are you behind this?” she asked, displaying her suspicion. Like her, Matthias Albers worked for the police’s criminal investigation department, but unlike her, he worked in the juvenile division, which meant he managed to avoid getting caught up in ridiculous police station bureaucracy.
“Could be. Why are you in here alone?”
“Because Markus is in bed with the flu and there was supposedly no replacement.”
“So nothing has changed as far as the loving relationship between you and Kahl, or what?”
“No—unless I undergo a sex change, it seems it will stay this way.”
“That’s what I thought. Let’s get going. Yvonne will have supper ready in a half hour, and you’re very welcome to join us.”
“Thanks, but . . .”
“No buts. You look as if you haven’t slept or eaten properly for days. Either you come along or you can spend the night here. What do you say?”
Sandra smiled and started the car. She couldn’t bring herself to be mad at him when he gave her that dachshund look, despite the fact that his suggestion was akin to blackmai
l. A nice supper with him and his wife was obviously a more pleasant prospect than sitting in the car for hours on end. “All right, you old blackmailer, but I’d prefer it if you would tell me now what your ulterior motive is. I’m going to find out soon enough anyway.”
“Nothing new—same as two weeks ago. Either you’re serious about your application to the LKA and you exploit all the contacts and connections you have or else you drop it.”
Sandra drove with her teeth clenched. Not this again. Matthias would never accept that she had her principles. As she steered the old BMW through Hamburg’s evening rush hour traffic, she thought about how she might explain herself to him. She was gradually running out of arguments and felt like a stubborn child.
Matthias yawned, leaned back, and closed his eyes. “There’s no point in applying to the LKA at your age and given your most recent evaluation. Your application will immediately land on the ‘too young, too inexperienced, completely unsuitable’ pile. Unless”—he paused—“you discreetly note that you’ve already helped the LKA once or twice. There aren’t openings in the drug department every day. If you get an invitation to a personal interview, you’ve won.”
Sandra snorted as she brought the BMW to a stop at a red light. “Helped? I’m not sure everyone sees it that way.” Damn, she hadn’t meant to say that.
“So that’s the real reason. Wow, girl, you’re making life unnecessarily difficult for yourself. No one’s got a grudge against you.”
“Stop it, Matthias. Stephan Reimers is the head of the department and a friend of Sven Klein’s, right? And the word is that Stephan and Sven have very interesting American friends. Would you care to wager whether Mark Rawlins is one of them? A man I twice tried to arrest, for which Sven almost killed me? I’m done with Stephan even though I’ve helped him on occasion. I’ll do things the official way, and that’s that.” Her voice had continually gotten louder. Thinking of Mark Rawlins, the leader of an American special unit that had successfully cooperated with the Hamburg police, never failed to enrage her. Having practiced for years, she ignored the quiet inner voice that reminded her it had actually been her fault that she had mistaken a colleague for a criminal. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. “I would prefer for things to go differently, but I’m not going to make myself the object of ridicule. Besides, I was right. In a way.”
For once Matthias was silent for a while. Not until Sandra turned into the quiet residential street and the car stopped in front of Matthias and Yvonne’s half of the duplex did he speak: “You’re not being fair to them. Not to Stephan or Sven and particularly not to Mark. You did damned good work back then.” He shrugged. “At least until you no longer trusted Sven, or rather Mark. But Mark explained that to you. And Stephan had nothing to do with any of it. I don’t think he even knows about the incident. And what if he does? But it’s easier to hide in the past than it is to live in the present, isn’t it? How long are you going to keep letting Kahl make life miserable for you? I’d say a year’s enough. Change something—now’s your chance—or end up old and gray and frustrated, sitting at a dusty desk and typing up reports for your colleagues. It’s up to you.”
Sandra was indecisive and said nothing. Then she gave an evasive response: “What’s up with Mark Rawlins? Are you still in contact with him? Are he and his team still in Hamburg, or was that a onetime thing? I hope they’re not around; never again do I want to meet any soldiers who think they’re cops.”
Matthias shook his head. “You’ve really worked yourself up about this. Mark and his boys work like cops but have some interesting abilities. In cases where we have to call in our special units, they take care of the situation themselves.”
“OK, fine, that was exaggerated.” She lowered her voice to a whisper: “But they’re still all damned arrogant and presumptuous seals, and unfortunately not as cute as the real thing.” She softened her criticism with a smile. Matthias immediately understood her play on words and laughed heartily. The Navy special unit got its name—the SEALs—because of its ability to take action in the sea, in the air, and on land. Because these letters spelled the word
seal
and because the water remained the Navy’s primary element, corresponding teasing was tempting. She looked around in mock apprehension. “But . . . are they still here? I hope Mark isn’t listening to this.”
Matthias became serious again and sighed. Avoiding her inquisitive look, he pointed to the kitchen window. “Yvonne’s waiting.” He opened the door and answered her: “Where they are is not important. You’d be better off thinking about what I just said to you. It would be extremely silly if you let go of this opportunity.” He gave her an intense look over the roof of the BMW. “And don’t think I don’t realize you’re still chasing the child traffickers at night. The rings around your eyes give you away. You’re a damned good policewoman, and it’s about time you dedicated yourself in the daytime, too.”
She probably should have said a few choice words in response to his patronizing manner—after all, she was nearly thirty years old, not three—but she couldn’t do it. Matthias wasn’t only her best friend, but he acted as a big brother or father figure, and she was honest enough to admit that his criticism was spot on. A few raindrops fell on her face, and Matthias stopped in the doorway and gently took hold of her arms. “Promise me you’ll think about it. Please, Sandra.”
Smiling, she hooked her arm in his. “I will. But let’s go in, you old grouch, before we get washed away.”
“Those are the first reasonable words I’ve heard from you today.”
Sandra rolled her eyes and refrained from further comment. Thinking about it didn’t mean she would do what Matthias demanded, but he would realize that soon enough.
Daniel Eddings carelessly stuffed a T-shirt into a duffel bag and then once again stared out his bedroom window. Other than a birch tree, there was nothing to see out there. His gaze rose to the fast-moving clouds that had turned a sunny day into a real torrent of rain within a few minutes. The fickle weather was typical of Northern Germany in May. At least with regard to this point, he would be better off during his vacation in California.
Vacation? To be sure, that was one way to look at nearly getting kicked out. Actually, though, his boss, Mark, had remained amazingly calm and friendly. After Daniel’s miserable performance during training, a three-week vacation was more a reward than a punishment. He laughed. In the course of a simulated disarming of a mine yesterday, he had wiped out his entire team within seconds because he had cut the wrong wire. He had gotten an earful for it, and it had presumably been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Any other team leader would have immediately thrown him out for making such a mistake, but not Mark. When Daniel—three weeks ago during a mission in Bosnia—had gotten the news that his father had died, Mark had immediately offered to let him fly to California. At the time Daniel had declined the offer and found all kinds of reasons to delay visiting his family in San Diego. That was over now. Sighing, he reached for his cell phone.
His sister’s sleepy voice sounded as clear as if she were in the next town. “Oops. Good morning, Ann—I forgot about the time difference. Did you sleep well?” He listened to her growled curses, amused. “Is that how you greet your little brother?”
“What . . . do . . . you . . . want?” Every word was accompanied by a yawn.
“To visit you. Mom, too, of course. But only if it’s all right with you.” What would he do if she said no? He’d understand that.
Something rustled, and he imagined Ann fishing for her shoes. “When? Soon? Sounds great.” Only happiness, not the criticism he actually deserved.
“My flight leaves Hamburg tomorrow morning; I change planes in Frankfurt and arrive in San Diego at around eighteen hundred.”
“Normal people call it six P.M.,” she said. “Where are you landing?” Her speech was indistinct; presumably Ann already had a pen in her mouth and was digging around for a piece of paper. She would hardly be able to survive without her Post-its. Lord, how he missed her.
“Halsey Field, at the northwest end of Coronado.”
“I know where that is, but how are you going to continue from there?”
“Don’t worry—I’m a SEAL lieutenant and the team doctor—I think I can figure it out.”
“Blowhard. I hope they give you the crappiest jeep they can find. Then you’ll be here about an hour and a half later. I’ll preheat the grill and put some beer on ice.” Ann sighed. “Do you want me to tell Mom you’re coming?”
Daniel thought of the perfectly styled main house and the considerably smaller but comfortable in-law house directly next to it in which his sister had lived for over ten years. “No, I’ll talk to her myself.”
“OK, see you tomorrow, Danny. I can’t wait.”
“Me either, and stop calling me Danny,” he said, but his sister had already hung up. She was probably making a to-do list and simultaneously yanking bedclothes out of the closet.
The call to his mother, unfortunately, was as stiff and formal as he had expected. He stared into his packed duffel bag and thought about the decision he’d soon have to make between his job and his family. Noises from the ground floor broke his thoughts, and his mood immediately improved. Other than himself, only two men had keys to this half of the duplex. He wouldn’t spend the rest of the evening brooding.
Instead of saying hello, Tom Bannings threw his jacket into a corner of the living room and placed a flat carton, a DVD, and a bottle of wine in the middle of the table. Tom yawned and got comfortable on the couch. “Did you think you’d get away without a proper good-bye? Forget it, partner. I ran into Stephan earlier. He’ll drive you to the airport in the morning.”
“Ran into? How?” Like Tom, Stephan Reimers, the head of the Hamburg drug department, was one of Daniel’s closest friends, but the police headquarters in Alsterdorf was several miles from Rostock, where his unit was officially stationed, so a chance encounter was nearly impossible.
“In front of Mark’s office—he had been to some meeting in Rostock and would have liked to have seen you, but you were already gone.”
“And he’s going to get up early just to drive me to the airport?”
“He mumbled something about how his daughter didn’t let him sleep late anyway. Hurry up and sit down before the pizza gets cold. Wait, pop in the DVD first. By the way, can I stay here next week?”
Daniel turned around with the DVD in his hand. The balconies and facade of Tom’s apartment building were being renovated. It would take almost a month, and the noise and dust were already unbearable, and it had only been a week. “Sure, why not? Or should I blow up the scaffolding?”
“I’ll take care of it myself if the work takes longer than it’s supposed to. Thanks, Daniel.”
“No problem. Are we supposed to drink out of the bottle? You know where the glasses are.”
Tom stood with an exaggerated sigh. Daniel watched him go into the kitchen. He could use the distraction. With a malevolent grin, he dropped onto the couch and wondered how Tom would react when he realized he would have to make do with the armchair. Nothing beat having true friends.
In the early evening the sky over California was still cloudless, and the sun bathed the airport building in warm light. There was no sign of the dreary weather of Northern Germany, to which Daniel would never become accustomed. In the arrivals area, a woman was holding up a sign bearing the logo of a car rental company and his name, giving Daniel the perfect excuse to end his small talk with a helicopter pilot with whom he was slightly acquainted. The Navy rumor mill was worse than any afternoon coffee hour in a retirement home, and it had not particularly surprised him that he had already been asked about a possible move from Germany to California.