Desperate

Chapter One

Chapter One

Losing it in the Swiss Alps

The bank in the small Swiss city of Gruslac was an easy hit. The two young male robbers walked in just after the bank reopened at two in the afternoon, showed two 9mm MP5 sub-machine guns to the tellers, and took nearly 160,000 Swiss Francs in cash and some gold coins from a display counter. They walked out and disappeared. Bank employees said they did not see or hear a car, but Swiss canton police, who set up roadblocks within the hour, quickly apprehended two Americans who fit the descriptions perfectly.

Attorney “Gus” Hines and his traveling buddy, Bill Ingram, were stopped at a roadblock five kilometers east of the city. Their car and its visible contents were inspected by police, and they were asked if they would allow inspection of their duffel bags and suitcases. The two tourists fit physical descriptions given by the bank personnel, and they had a large amount of Swiss Francs in their luggage. Their winter traveling attire did not match the ski suits of the culprits nor were any weapons or ski masks found in the car. “Open and shut case,” said the Swiss police, except they hadn’t yet recovered the remaining 158,000, or so, Swiss Francs.

Protesting their innocence, the pair of Americans were handcuffed at the roadblock, roughly taken from their rental car, and transported to a small farmhouse outside the city. They were held in separate rooms by police plainclothes men and women; and, hours later, without any interrogation or being allowed to make any phone calls, the pair were blindfolded and loaded into two black Japanese SUVs. They were then taken on a three hour drive southeast into the mountains of the Swiss Alps. Both men were warned not to communicate with each other; and, to assure this, they were gagged, blindfolded, and placed in separate cars.

Two female plainclothes women were assigned as guard and driver for each car. A third vehicle, driven by two men, broke off the escort after the first hour. By that time, the 4x4 trucks were high into the Alps and climbing toward the border. They made one stop. The two men were separately allowed to use a toilet in a tiny roadside building that was apparently government owned; the men being allowed to enter the toilet alone but with their hands cuffed in front of them. Back on the road, they were not permitted to speak or move from the rear seats where they were seated, hands cuffed behind their backs, and feet shackled.

“This is getting a bit out of hand,” Gus thought, as the 4x4 swerved around yet another curve on the steep mountain road. He could feel the truck climbing the mountain incline, and his ears told him they were moving still higher. It was also getting much colder in the truck, despite the heater and defroster going full blast. His two escorts, both women, said nothing. The radio, tuned to the national police frequency, kept up a low level of official chatter. It was going to snow again later in the day, and the two officers briefly talked to each other in German Swiss about what a long winter it was going to be.

Slightly behind Gus’s truck, the second vehicle with Bill and two guards made the same climb. At the rest stop, Bill tried several times to talk with the two women officers and was told to shut up or they would gag him. He steamed and chafed, but there was little he could do. Mentally, Bill calculated the size of the legal suit he planned to bring against them, the canton, the Swiss government, and the bank. This kept his mind working and allowed the time to pass. Neither American was given a chance to contact the US Embassy or consul; and, when they insisted, they were simply ignored.

“Bank robbery in Switzerland is a very, very serious offense,” one of the arresting officers shouted at them. “This is not like America. We take robbery very seriously, and you have no rights until we decide to give them to you,” she said. “You may get your chance to contact someone later on if you behave. Otherwise, we can and will keep you as long as we wish.”

Bill and Gus were astonished to learn that the bank employee had identified them, and that they were even considered part of the charade. Their girlfriends would be amused, Gus thought. Sherry Winters and Carol Thompson had traveled to Europe a week behind them and agreed to meet them in Munich two days from now. The two men took advantage of the week of freedom to hit nightclubs in London, meet some other young women, and then take a hovercraft to France. There, they rented a new Peugeot and drove southeast, stopping in Paris and Lyon. They dined at several Michelin three-star-rated restaurants booked months in advance and stayed at small, expensive hotels they had found in the Relais and Chateaux guide. It had been a fun week, and they had spent the last night in Geneva then headed east towards Munich early that same morning. They passed through Gruslac at noon, stopping for a long lunch. They were leaving the town when the robbery took place. The rest was a puzzle to them both.

“But people are expecting us in Munich,” Gus had whined at the farmhouse. “We must let them know.”

“Perhaps later,” was the only answer he got.

Back in Gruslac, a brief conversation took place between Canton Police Commissioner Trog Logus and Dr. Zinkol Braskloe, a director of a private international firm known as The Consortium. The gist of their meeting was the settlement of fiscal obligations stemming from the recent unpleasant incident at the bank. Both parties agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest to close the case quickly, leaving the two American suspects in the doctor’s care. They’d let the national bank insurance program adjust the missing funds quietly, as was often done when such reprehensible acts marred the calm demeanor of the Swiss banking community.

“Zoë, mine fruend,” said Commissioner Logus. “You will see that the sentence any court would impose will be automatically carried out at no cost to the state?”

“But of course, Herr Doctor. Und you will see that the records reflect nothing about this unfortunate incident?”

“Done.”

“Done. This briefcase holds the proceeds due your department for its hard and brilliant police work. I trust the follow-up will be carried out when necessary.”

“Of course. We think the solution will come up in Munich or perhaps Frankfurt, but I’ll keep you informed. We like to tie up the loose ends quickly. Anyone associated with these criminals will be carefully investigated and turned over to you if necessary. Good afternoon, Herr Doctor. I’ll see you at the Schloss Radgatz sometime in the late winter.”

Thank you and good afternoon, Herr Commissioner.”