“Oida, what’s that for a bill?”
“A couple grand, more or less. He was celebrating something, but whenever anyone asked what, he just bought them another drink. Always a pisco sour. I must’ve made a hundred and fifty last night. I never want to see another egg white. That wasn’t the only thing.”
“What else?”
“He called me outside before he walked in and palmed me a thousand for a favor.”
“What?”
“He wanted our security cameras switched off. Said he was particular about his privacy. Then he—listen, our friend in the corner is getting curious.”
“Did you catch his name?”
“I can’t say more. Excuse me, I have to attend to my pup.”
Harry stooped to pat Otis, and adjusted his harness.
“Otis is delighted to see you. Why don’t you give him some attention while I see to my patrons?”
As Harry walked away, Andreas’s gaze followed her. Sterling bent to pet Otis.
“How’s my second favorite guy in Vienna doing? Cute as ever.”
Otis wriggled, trying to shake something off. Sterling felt his harness, finding a wallet and a gold lighter tucked into it. She slipped them into the pocket of her jacket hanging on the back of her chair.
Harry paced back to the end of the bar.
“Listen, I’d love to see you somewhere a little more intimate. Let’s take Otis for a walk on Monday? Meet me at our spot, the usual time?”
She considered it and nodded.
Sterling set her empty glass on the counter. When Harry reached for it, their fingers overlapped. They let them linger a moment too long for either to pretend it was unintentional.
Sterling pulled away first.
Harry pouted. “I should have said something before I left, but I’m here now, kid. Let’s talk.”
“Talking isn’t enough, I need answers. Clear ones. That’s never been your thing. You have until Monday to straighten up whatever details you didn’t iron out these last six months.”
Harry tipped an invisible hat. “Until then, sweetheart.”
The bar was getting rowdy. Verena was making out with her client. Still glued to her lips, he waved for the bill like a drowning man. Two guys beside him did him a favor, calling, “Check, please!” and pointing at him. He gave a thumbs-up, still kissing her. Lukas, the bar back, printed it and pocketed a large tip while Harry wasn’t looking, then saluted Sterling. Their little secret.
The crowd swelled. Sterling couldn’t spot the detective anymore. She didn’t want to make too quick an exit, so she chatted up the new waitress long enough to get her number, which she scribbled on a cocktail napkin and tucked into her pocket beside the wallet. She ducked out as a mob of thirsty patrons pushed forward, shouting orders.
The cold kissed her face with the harsh insistence of a rarely visited relative. She rounded the corner. The street was empty. She stopped by a clothing store with a gently backlit display to see what Harry had slipped her. As she opened the wallet, something heavy fell out. A coin—no, more of a medallion, with an emblem of a bird in a crown of leaves on one side, blank on the other.
She tucked it into her coat’s breast pocket and searched for an ID. A photo of Mr. Lime, recognizable by his sparse curls, was wedged tight in one card sleeve. Her hands were sensitive to cold,but she’d have to take her gloves off to get it. She slipped it out and was nearing his name when the whisper of careful footsteps scraped the pavement behind her.
She stuck the wallet in her coat pocket and started walking again.
Someone was following her.
— 16 —Sechzehn
Music and laughter from the Loos Bar drifted around the corner. Sterling glanced back but saw no one. She sensed a strange echo in her footsteps. Maybe the martinis had been stronger than she remembered. Grasping her keys between her fingers, she stopped short. A footstep fell behind her.
She looked back. The street was empty.
