Page 11 of Hard to Kill

Slater and Aimes left the room, leaving Kellen to her tea. But she found her hands were shaking too much to get the teacup to her mouth. Today would decide her fate—would she be honorably discharged and start her life over, or would her life end in a dark cave in Germany?

7

Once General Slater had the painting in hand, how did he intend to kill her?

Major Aimes drove the general’s personal truck through narrow mountain roads, the general at his side, while Kellen sat cramped in the back, dreading their arrival at the cave. Behind them, a pickup full of men followed with shovels. Behind them, an art historian followed in her Volkswagen; the general had contacted Samantha Becker to ensure the removal of the painting was done with proper care.

With so many witnesses, Kellen didn’t see how Slater could eliminate her. But he was a general; strategy was his strength, and he’d managed to murder Corporal Benjamin Roy quite efficiently. Friendly fire was probably his modus operandi. A quick bullet to the back when she was done procuring his painting would be an effective finish for her. The cave would be a good tomb. No one would ever find her bones...

She focused on the maps, giving Aimes instructions until they reached a lush green section of the Altdorf Forest, with a few fallen trees and what appeared to be a rockslide. According to the map, they had arrived.

Aimes and Slater climbed out of the front seats, leaving Kellen to struggle out on her own.

Yes, the general’s gentlemanly facade crumbled now that he had achieved his goal. She squinted at Roy’s map. “General, the map says this is the entrance to the cave. We’ll need to clear this debris.”

General Slater crossed his arms over his chest. “Major, you heard the captain.”

Aimes gestured to the assembled workers. “You heard the general. Get these rocks moved.”

The men started digging.

General Slater said, “Aimes, grab a shovel and get to work.”

Kellen did not smile. She did not smile. She did not...until Aimes had turned his back and started shoveling.Thenshe smiled, and broadly, too.

The general saw her, and he winked.

She didn’t know what to think of him. He blew hot and cold, he liked her and he didn’t, he wanted to kill her and...and that was all that mattered.

“Show me again the parts of Chester Roy’s diary relating to this excavation,” General Slater said.

She showed him what she had discovered, and added, in a voice laden with regret, “Parts of the code are still unintelligible.”

He pulled a couple of camp chairs out of his truck, set them up and invited Kellen to seat herself. “You’d better continue with your code breaking, Captain. We don’t want to find any unpleasant surprises in the cave.”

“As you say, sir.” She bent her head to the diary.

Hours later, a dust-covered Aimes shouted, “General, we’re through!”

General Slater came to his feet.

Kellen tucked the diary into her backpack and followed more slowly.

Aimes ordered the excavators to keep digging and widen the opening to the cave, as Aimes and Slater, along with Kellen and the art historian, Miss Becker, climbed over the remaining rubble to duck into the cave. Behind them, the men continued to pull rocks away from the cave entrance, letting in more of the weak forest light.

The air inside the cave was stale, cool and dry.

General Slater, Major Aimes, Miss Becker and Kellen each held a large flashlight, and it didn’t take them long to search the corners of the dark cave. There on the north side of the cave, amid rock dust and cobwebs, stood the immense Rubens painting, coated with dirt, framed in gilt and absolutely glorious.

Kellen thought Miss Becker might faint on the spot.

Slater rolled his eyes in Kellen’s direction. “Did you think to mention its size, Captain?”

Kellen smiled. “It’s eight and a half feet by six and a half feet, give or take, but the truck is large, the cave entrance is getting bigger every minute and we have enough men to carry it. Miss Becker, it looks all right, doesn’t it? It’s weathered well?”

Miss Becker still looked like she would expire at any moment, but in a heavy German accent, she breathlessly said, “It’s breathtaking! I’ll get the men in here to move it to the truck and take it directly to the airport. The Victoria and Albert Museum will want to authenticate it immediately.”

Kellen looked bemused by General Slater’s look of horror. “What do you mean?” he said indignantly.

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