Page 100 of The Atlas Maneuver

“I understand,” Citrone replied from the other side of the door.

Citrone waddled out, dressed in black slacks and an expensive silk shirt, his thin hair dry and combed. He was back to his more polished self. Unlike flailing away in freezing lake water. She realized that Koger was making sure this man stayed just enough out of his element to keep him off guard. Though, if pushed enough, Koger might just shoot him.

Citrone allowed his girth to settle comfortably on the bed. The house staff had straightened the room. “Derrick, you have to believe me. Yamashita’s gold exists. It was merged with the Nazi gold in 1949, but the Japanese gold was five times the size of Germany’s. Historians love to talk about Nazi plunder. But the Japaneseput the Germans to shame. It was an enormous cache, worth in the many billions. The Bank of St. George has that gold and has used it regularly as a source of unaccounted-for capital. They currently have one of the largest concentrations of gold on the planet.”

“But it’s unknown,” Koger said. “Not counted in the world’s inventory.”

Citrone pointed a stubby forefinger. “Exactly. So the bank was always careful and trickled it in ever so slowly. They are masters of what they do. And controlling that much bullion is a challenge. Believe me. That is why there remains only a single repository for it all.”

“And you know where that is?” she asked.

Citrone nodded. “I do. And you’ve already been there.”

“That wine depository?” she said.

“Exactly. I wanted you to take a look at the one vault to see if, by chance, the gold had been returned there. But as you discovered, it was empty. There’s another vault, though. The bank does not know I am aware of its existence. But I am.”

She could see that Koger was suspicious.

As was she.

Like, who wouldn’t be?

“Rob,” Koger said, and he cocked and aimed the gun at Citrone. “I’m not screwin’ around here. I’m going to get this done whether you’re dead or alive or badly maimed.”

Citrone showed not a hint of fear. “Langley didn’t really want to partner with me in the first place, but I offered them a quick way to get to you. That failed. So I have no choice but to work withyounow. It’s my only shot of getting past this alive.”

Koger kept the gun aimed. “Okay, partner. Talk.”

“The gold is in the wine vault. In another location.”

She stared at Koger and he seemed to sense her thoughts.

Do we believe him?

“I worked with the bank a long time,” Citrone said in a bitter, almost defeated tone. “I made many friends there. Friends that keep me informed. For a price, of course. The gold is there. It wasput there decades ago and left after the vault was converted to wine storage. That much bullion would be impossible to move out of that building without drawing a lot of unwanted attention.”

Koger motioned with the gun. “That’s the first thing you’ve said that makes sense. Can your friends get us in?”

“No. But I can.”

Cassiopeia had been thinking about what Citrone said earlier.

“The one thing the agency fears the most is public exposure. They don’t want any of this to see the light of day. All we need is physical proof. Some wonderful color images would do the trick.”

“If the gold is there,” she said, “only publicity will protect us.”

Koger said, “I agree.”

“Do you have the ability to make that happen?” she asked.

Koger smiled.

“I know just the person to call.”

CHAPTER 56

KYRA ADMIRED THE UNCLUTTERED COUNTRYSIDE OUTSIDE THE CARwindows, the Moroccan landscape grand, rugged, unassailable, as if no one had ever walked there before. The distant Atlas Mountains seemed an impassable wall with no straight lines, the ragged, tranquil giants scored with snow, the tops capped even thicker. She’d always thought mountains revealed nature’s essential character. Hard, cruel, totally uncaring about anything.