Vienna Woods by Mary Lancaster

Author:Mary Lancaster
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2016-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

ZELIG SETTLED BACK on the slightly sticky corner bench and took a sip of beer. From his corner, he could see the whole of the unprepossessing tavern; from the fat landlord, and to the undernourished unemployed, who seemed to be the bulk of his customers. Just a few, ragged men sipping their beer because they had nothing else to do. And where else could they numb their hopelessness for so little coin? He didn’t judge them, but he watched them. Hopeless men with nothing to do were ripe for discontent and sedition. And he waited.

Baron von Hager had not been encouraging about the Prussian invasion of Saxony. “Something like this has been on the cards for weeks. I’ll do what I can, but I suspect it’s too late.”

“I’m sorry,” Zelig had muttered. “I should have gotten the document earlier and stopped worrying so much about finding those involved.”

“No, I think knowing who and what we’re dealing with is important. I doubt we’d ever have been able to prevent this mess. But now, knowing exactly when and how before it actually happens, might at least allow Prince Metternich to form a strategy to deal with it—a strategy that does not involve war!”

Zelig devoutly hoped so. Dressed inconspicuously in clothes that could pass as a clerk, he blended into his surroundings and waited for his quarry. Since he had many other things to deal with that day, he hoped he wouldn’t be kept long.

He wasn’t. Only ten minutes after Zelig had arrived, Weber walked in and ordered a beer. His quick searching glance passed right over Zelig’s corner and came to rest on a man in a torn jacket and cap, whom he crossed the room to sit beside. After a quick, murmured conversation, there was an exchange of coin and the torn man, presumably one of Weber’s informants, stood up and left. Weber finished his beer and rose, but instead of following his man outside, he came straight toward Zelig.

Zelig hunched over his beer with his fist clenched inside his pocket, but Weber brushed past him without even looking, and went through the back door. Zelig almost smiled, then stood up and followed. The door led, as he knew, through a grimy storage area to a small, gloomy yard surrounded by windowless buildings. As he stepped into the yard, he let the door fall noisily back. Ahead of him, at the outside door leading into the alley beyond, Weber paused. He knew someone was following him.

Zelig ran at him, giving him no time to think. He didn’t even care when Weber caught him and slammed him against the wall, his thick forearm across Zelig’s throat. As he’d known, the instant of shocked recognition as their eyes met, gave Zelig all the time he needed to knee him between his beefy legs, break free, and grab him in a headlock, forcing him to his knees, and then flat on his front on the ground.

“You’re dead!” Weber panted as Zelig sat on his back.

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