Page 87 of The Order

Martin Landesmann, theSwiss financier and philanthropist, famously slept only three hours a night. Therefore, when he answered his phone at five fifteen, he sounded alert and full of entrepreneurial vitality. Yes, he said, business was good. Quite good, in fact. No, he replied with a mirthless laugh, he was not selling nuclear components to the Iranians again. Because of Gabriel, all that was in Landesmann’s past.

“And you?” he asked earnestly. “How’s your business these days?”

“International chaos is a growth industry.”

“I’m always looking for investment opportunities.”

“Financing isn’t a problem, Martin. What I need is a plane.”

“I’m taking the Boeing Business Jet to London later this morning, but the Gulfstream is available.”

“I suppose it will have to do.”

“Where and when?”

Gabriel told him.

“Destination?”

“Tel Aviv, with a brief stopover at Ciampino in Rome.”

“Where shall I send the bill?”

“Put it on my tab.”

Gabriel rang off and called Donati in Rome.

“I was beginning to think I would never hear from you,” he said.

“Don’t worry, I have everything you need.”

“How bad is it?”

“Twelve on the Bishop Richter scale. But I’m afraid there’s a complication involving someone close to the previous pope. I’d rather not discuss it over the phone.”

“When will you be here?”

“I need to tie up one or two loose ends before I leave. And don’t even think about setting foot outside the Jesuit Curia until I get there.”

Gabriel killed the connection.

“Tell me something,” asked Lavon. “What’s it like to be you?”

“Exhausting.”

“Why don’t you sleep for a couple of hours while we pack up?”

“I’d love to. But I have one more question I’d like to ask our newest asset.”

“What’s that?”

Gabriel told him.

“That’s two questions,” said Lavon.

Smiling, Gabriel carried Estermann’s phone downstairs. The German was drinking coffee at the interrogation table, watched over by Mikhail and Oded. He was unshaven, and his right cheek was bruised. With a razor and a bit of makeup, he would be as good as new.

Warily, he watched as Gabriel sat down in the chair opposite. “What is it now?”