She could imagine the explosion if she told him she might have to take Cassie back to Vasaro.
“We’ve got him, sir,” Danley said. “We found him in a flat on the Amstel River.”
“You didn’t hurt him?”
“You gave us our orders. He was actually pretty tame. He didn’t give us any trouble.”
Tame wasn’t the word he’d use for the man he’d met at Vasaro, Andreas thought. Michael Travis had been quiet and respectful but also exuded wariness. Andreas had gathered the impression Travis was a force to be reckoned with. “How unusual.”
“He knew he was outnumbered. You want me to take him to Langley?”
“No, the Justice Department. I don’t want anyone to know anything about him. I’ll use the tunnel from the White House at midnight tomorrow. Have him there.”
“Yes, Mr. President.” A pause. “He asked us to give you a message. He said if you want his cooperation, he expects cooperation in return.”
“What kind of cooperation?”
“He wants you to send Air Force One for him,” Danley said. “The son of a bitch doesn’t seem to realize he’s the one behind the eight ball.”
Air Force One. Why would Travis want that concession? Arrogance? To establish a position of strength? He’d judged the man to be too smart to let conceit or arrogance guide his actions, and his message gave promise he wasn’t averse to working with him. Let him have his little power play. It might make him feel more secure. “Where is the plane?”
“D.C. and ready to go.”
“Then tell the pilot to pick up Travis and bring him here.”
“It’s not necessary, sir. With all due respect, you shouldn’t give in to that bastard.”
“ ‘That bastard’ saved my daughter’s life. We’re not sure he had any other involvement. Send the plane.”
3
Paris
“You haven’t found him yet?” Edward Deschamps asked. “It’s been almost eight months. What kind of fool are you, Provlif ?”
Provlif’s hand tightened on the receiver. He wished it were Deschamps’s throat. Patience. The money had been good so far, and no one knew better than he did how deadly Deschamps could be if crossed. “I have a strong lead. He has a connection in Amsterdam. A Jan van der Beck.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“You wanted concrete information. I had to dig very deep to find Jan van der Beck. They used to be partners, but Travis has been on his own for years.”
“And what have you found out about Cassie Andreas?”
Silence.
“Nothing?”
“Naturally, we’ve been concentrating on Travis.”
“Dammit, I told you, I need to know where she is.”
“You can’t be thinking of a second attempt on her? It would be crazy.”
“That’s none of your concern, Provlif. Your job is to find her.”
“It’s not as if she’s an ordinary kid. The President put a security blanket around everything connected with her. We finally managed to trace her to a clinic in Connecticut, but the President took her from there over a month ago. We’re still trying to find out who’s treating her now and where she—”
“Where she was a month ago is no help to me. I need to know where she is now.”
“I have three men working on it.”
“Then hire more.”
“I’ll need additional cash.” He had to walk very carefully, Provlif thought. Deschamps was one of the most coldly brilliant men he’d ever met, but that didn’t mean he was always in control. He’d seen him explode on more than one occasion. And the word was out that since he’d become obsessed with finding Travis, Deschamps had become even more volatile.
“You’ll get your money,” Deschamps said softly.
“I’m leaving at once for Amsterdam.”
“No. Get on a plane to Washington and find Cassie Andreas. I’ll go to Amsterdam myself and follow up on Jan van der Beck.”
“But he may be difficult to—”
“Provlif, you may remember that when I first started in the business, I became very well known for finding people.”
Oh, yes, Provlif remembered. Finding them and then ridding the world of them. “I meant no disrespect, Edward.”
“Then get on a plane and find that kid.”
Lousy son of a bitch.
Deschamps hung up and strode toward the closet. He tossed a suitcase on the bed and began throwing clothes into it.
Prick. The nerve of Provlif to bother him about money. Did he have so little vision?
In spite of Provlif’s doubts, the plan was sound and it would still work. But he had to have Cassie Andreas. She was paramount in the scheme of things.