Into the Lion's Den (55 page)

“Go away, Gregory Antonovich. I'll speak with Constantin Ivanovich,” Oblomov said and opened the door, entering in the room alone.

“It's all Lintorff's fault. He planned all this,” Constantin growled without raising his eyes from the papers.

“It's Olga and Morozov's fault, Constantin. Lintorff saw the opportunity to get his loan secured, that's all.

He will give Guntram back after one year. In February. I'm confident we will have enough money to pay him.”

“It was a set up and I fell like a damn fool! Why was he giving me the opportunity to see my angel?

Because he wanted to provoke me!”

“I don't deny he can be a real bastard, but Guntram was unhappy here since London. He told you several times he wanted to come back to Argentina. He cut his wrists open last December.”

“He was getting better! No, Lintorff stole him for himself!”

“Lintorff has no interest in the boy,” Ivan huffed.

“Yes, he has! More than you think!”

“That thing finished in 1989, he can't be still furious about that!”

“I spoke with Nicholas Lefèbre and he has an interesting story to tell.”

“Where? He's Malchenko's lawyer.”

“Don't play the idiot with me, Ivan Ivanovich. This man is our main intelligence source within the Order, better than Boris. Did you never wonder why?”

“He must know someone and forcing him to tell could ruin all. He's on our side.”

“I got a letter from one of his associates. He wanted to meet me in Brussels. I went there.”

“Why were you wasting your time?”

“Because the letter was signed by Jerôme de Lisle, Ivan.”

July 9th, 2004

“Mr. Repin? My name is Michel Lacroix. I believe you received my letter.”

“I was expecting someone else, Mr. Lacroix.”

“I'm afraid Mr. de Lisle passed away in tragic circumstances in 1989, but I can speak on his behalf.”

Constantin took a good look at the man standing in front of him in that small café in Brugges. He was over his sixties and had an unmistakable air of superiority, a good but conservative dark blue suit and his moves were elegant and controlled. “Sit down, please,” he invited the stranger noticing that his features were exactly like Guntram's although his eyes were green and his hair grey, perhaps black when he had been young.

“Thank you. I apologise for the detour you had to take to meet me. One can never be sure when the Order is around.”

“You seem to be in perfect health conditions, Mr. Lacroix.”

“I feel much better than in the past, thank you.”

“How can I be sure that you certainly know Jerôme de Lisle?”

“Perhaps I could satisfy your curiosity.”

“Indeed. When was the last time Guntram saw his father? What was he doing?”

“Ten days before his death and the child was drawing, sitting on the floor. He never realised his father was going away. He didn't have the courage to tell him good-bye.”

“Yes, that's right Mr. Lacroix,” Constantin accepted the answer. “Is it safe to speak here?”

“If you like, we can walk to the park.”

“I admit that you're the last person I ever expected to meet,” Constantin said. “The resemblance is remarkable. Jerôme can be proud.”

“I saw him in Paris, January 2003. He has certainly grown up.”

“I always wondered why your friend took that decision.”

“The child was the only thing that mattered to him, nothing else. Jerôme would have killed for him.

When you're in troubles with your
Hochmeister
, death is the only solution to get him off your back, Mr. Repin.”

“So you're the one who provides information to us?”

“Among others. I've been taking care of your taxes since 1995. You're a generous employer, thank you.”

“My pleasure, but I will have to investigate more my employees in the future.”

“We are not here to speak about working conditions, sir,” the man suddenly changed into another person, a dangerous one, as Constantin had learned to identify over the years. “Why is Guntram living with Lintorff?”

“It wasn't my choice, sir. I'm in a very frail position in the moment and needed cash. Lintorff offered his support and after we had reached an agreement, he backed off and demanded to have the boy as collateral. He said something like the boy belonged to him as his father had given him as payment for his debts. Guntram went to him by his own will as Lintorff threatened to kill my children and expose me. He will return him in February, after I pay him back the money and I'm confident that I can do it.”

“Lintorff will never give you Guntram back, Mr. Repin. He's more deranged than I thought.”

“Why is that Mr. Lacroix? He knows better than killing him. He wouldn't dare to cross me because he's aware how important Guntram is to me,” Constantin said, his fury starting to boil.

“Let me tell you an old story and perhaps you will understand the Griffin better. It starts slightly before Guntram was born, in 1982. It's not a very well known story, only a few were part of it and most witnesses are dead.

When the Griffin succeeded the previous one, suddenly departed due to a heart attack, he was only twenty-two years old, very intelligent and showed great promise but he would have needed another ten years before his father could have named him
Hochmeister
. Everyone expected that he would be one year in power and out with the Lintorffs as Hermann von Lintorff was too old and sick to rule and Georg von Lintorff had not enough support or money. The Order was not as powerful as it's now, but it was large enough. To most associates' surprise, the boy did well during his first year and the profits were huge, unheard of, winning him support from the youngest members and many
Komturen
, those are the local leaders of the chapters and deal with the less honourable people, and Lintorff got another term. Before him, being a banker was a secure and boring job. With Konrad von Lintorff everything was turned upside down from morning to evening,” Lacroix smirked at the memory.

“Lintorff is excellent in his job. He has also advised me many times.”

“You couldn't find someone better for this business. We believe that around November 1981, Lintorff started a clandestine love affair with one of his traders in Paris. How they met, we don't know, but it was discovered in June 1982.”

“Lintorff is promiscuous, we all know that.”

“I'm afraid that in this case, the relationship was very stable. Rocky, yes. Fighting like crazy, also true.”

“You seem to know the lady.”

“His name was Roger de Lisle, third son of the Vicomte de Marignac, Head of the Order in France.”

“It can't be! He's more into women than boys!”

“For seven years, Mr. Repin. Roger was five years older than him and quite a ladies man. How they got together is a mystery, but Lintorff was absolutely obsessed with him. Roger was a normal man, married with one small baby girl and only willing to make a good living. When he married with Maria Augusta zu Löwenstein, he stopped visiting clubs and discos and stayed at home. It was quite a change in him. Lintorff was obsessed with Roger, writing to him almost daily, surveillance on him and his family, offering money to support his father's own bank and companies. He was like a stalker. I believe Roger agreed just to ease the tension or perhaps he was curious or even liked Lintorff. He was a very good looking man, funny, whimsical, selfish, but with a very weak character. He could throw things and make a tantrum if he was upset, but it was never more than that. The youngest is always the most spoiled child.”

“When the Vicomte found out what his youngest son was up to, he was furious with him for dragging the family to a scandal or ruining his marriage, well above the family's expectations. Roger tried to break up with Lintorff, but it was useless as that man spoke with the Vicomte and offered him a seat in the new council. Roger was sent back to Lintorff's bed and he got several concessions, like becoming Division Head in the bank, but nothing else because Roger was not clever enough as to become more. He always needed someone to tell him what to do. A “magnificent animal,” according to Lintorff himself.”

“What would have been nothing more than whoring your son became much more as the Vicomte and his eldest son realised that they could use Roger to lead Lintorff while they and other associates stirred the waters. Roger learned his part well and kept Lintorff busy while many were sabotaging his projects in 1986, 1987 and 1988. That year, Lintorff was a walking corpse as he had no support from anyone but the Old Guard, Löwenstein, Wallenberg and his uncle Hermann von Lintorff. The
Summus Marescalus
at that time, Mladic Pavicevic, was on his side along with many of the
Komturen
, as he was dealing with their business very efficiently because the conspirators had no access to them.”

“In the past months, I heard the strange rumour than Guntram's father was the one who exposed the traitors in 1989, Mr Lacroix.”

“Mid of 1988 and he only put von Kleist on the right track to find out the culprits. Nothing else.”

“Why?”

“He had a different agenda than the conspirators'. He would have preferred that the whole Order would have fallen along with Lintorff. It's a corrupt and rotten organization.”

“Mr. Lacroix, the minute two men join forces, corruption starts,” Repin laughed.

“You're right, Mr. Repin, but coming back to our story. Lintorff exploded.”

“I can imagine.”

“NO, you don't. First, he wanted just to expel the traitors, but there were some leaks about the Order and the associates' heads started to roll. Some associates, all businessmen believed that a simple band of mercenaries could terminate Lintorff, but they were very wrong. He survived the attack on his estate at Günstrow, but many of his bodyguards died. He finished with his own hands the prisoners. I think that the legend of him gutting people alive comes from that night. He went directly for the Vicomte's head, killing him and his eldest son's family. He gave the orders, but you know that part.” The man told the story without moving a single inch from his face.

“Roger took his wife and daughter and escaped to South Africa. The remaining brother was a fugitive from the French Justice and the Order. Jerôme had been expecting this outcome for a long time, as he had realised that Lintorff had the upper hand. A few uptight businessmen were no match for the criminals who respected him as their leader. Small winnings for a year? That was nothing compared with all the clever ways he had devised for reinvesting their dirty money. It was nothing at all! Lintorff offered them protection and provided expertise. He always controlled the military aspects of the Order and those are more important than anything. No matter how much the associates would have cried in the Council, he was there to stay. Hanging a banker from a bridge is easier than most people believe.”

“Don't tell it to me,” Repin smirked.

“Jerôme had a child, Guntram, who was seven years old and always living abroad. He had been presented to the Order and became a member, but his father decided to keep him away from Europe in case they would fail. He hid the boy in Argentina, where you met him, and kept him with the minimal survival skills. Too much money could have spoiled his character or attracted unwanted attention toward his persona. Risking his own life, Jerôme offered his life and his boy's to Lintorff in exchange for Roger's full pardon.”

“Why would Lintorff want a seven year old? He dislikes children.”

“Because Guntram is the living image of Roger. Lintorff loved that man to the point of lunacy. His rejection and acts against him, killed him and turned him into the hatred consumed man he's now. Unforgiving, ruthless, cold and totally lonesome. Jerôme had the only thing that Lintorff ever wanted and he used it to save his brother and child's lives. Lintorff would have torn his son into pieces without a second thought, exactly as he had done with his cousins! Jerôme had to convince him that he should protect the child in order to get a reward in the future.

Guntram was a very sweet boy, unable to hurt a fly or even throw a tantrum. He was always glad for every smile you would dedicate him. It took Lintorff less than a minute to accept the offer. Jerôme fulfilled his part, but kept the boy hidden, just in case Lintorff would have done something against him. They searched for him in Europe for many years, but they lost interest at some point.”

“And focused on Roger. There's a bounty for his head. Do you know where is he?”

“No, but he has learned to hide over the years.”

“Guntram broke up with me,” Constantin said, lightening a cigarette. He needed one desperately, his mind in turmoil as he understood Guntram's abnormal behaviour. His angel would have never broken up with him!

Lintorff had been messing around with his head!

“Lintorff is already working on him. He must have convinced the boy that he was better. Why is Guntram so sick now?”

“He had an undetected heart condition. It worsened during an attack my wife planned on him. He was stabbed several times and suffered a heart attack in the operation table. We thought he was going to die.” Constantin said, deciding to be straightforward with his angel's father-uncle. “I punished the culprits, but he will suffer the consequences all his life,” he finished, seeing how the man looked devastated and in pain. 'The father, not the uncle'.

“Exactly as his mother. He inherited more than her sweet and loving temper. He's an artist like her,”

Lacroix mumbled, lost for a minute in his thoughts.

“A very good one,” Constantin added softly. “I love him and I swear to look after him.”

“Lintorff waited all these years to get his lover back. Do you think he will return Guntram to you?”

Lacroix leaned on the bridge's parapet, his gaze lost in the running water.

“Why did his father give up his own child? Couldn't he run away like the other brother?”