The Export, J.K. Kelly [book club books txt] 📗

been in the country when the murder on Everest had taken place.

After breakfast, they had planned to rent a car near the train station and take the short ride from Salzburg down to Berchtesgaden, where they would park at the visitor’s center of the famed Kehlsteinhaus, the house on top of the Kehlstein Mountain. Built in the late 1930s as a retreat for Adolph Hitler, nearly 75 years after the end of World War II, it served now as an engineering marvel and a place to enjoy food and drink and breathtaking mountain views. Matt expected it would take two hours or so for them to hike up to the 6,000-foot summit.

“So, are we going to enjoy a nice hike up to the top, or are you going to turn this into a competition?” he asked her.

She smiled. “We can race down, if we must, but I want to take my time and soak this all in. Remember, the air gets thinner as we climb. I can’t wait to capture this with my camera.”

With that, they headed up. After stopping to drink water and take more pictures, Eve wrapped her arms around Matt and gave him a tight hug and a long, passionate kiss.

“This is spectacular,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. They continued on until they arrived at the base of the stone retreat and then walked up a long, winding set of wooden stairs to reach the main level of the restaurant and viewing areas. Eve pointed to the area where they could walk away from the haus and go even further up, perhaps taking more photos of the building and the mountains that surrounded them.

“You lead,” he told her.

They passed a large wooden cross that had been erected overlooking Hitler’s former retreat. The evil was long gone. Now there was nothing but good times and beauty at the top. They continued slightly higher above the stone building, joining the more adventurous who squeezed between boulders and stepped to rough ledges to take selfies, forever mindful that a mistake while trying to snap a photo could get someone killed.

When Eve sensed they were alone, she pushed Matt against a boulder and made out with him until she heard someone giggle to her left. A young couple must have had the same thing in mind but went to seek out another private spot for themselves. As Eve stepped away from Matt, she handed him the Nikon her father had given her and backed up to the edge, stopping when he warned her not to go any farther. She posed in at least 10 different positions until Matt stopped clicking and stepped toward her, close to the edge.

“So how does this compare to Everest?” he asked. She looked around and smiled at the beauty.

“This is spectacular, but Everest – she’s a massive beauty for sure,” she said.

“Were you working?” he asked.

“Of course, I couldn’t afford that trip on my own,” she told him. “I was doing a photo essay on the trash left on the mountain for one of the environmental organizations I freelance for.” She must have sensed something was up. Matt’s tone had become more insistent, less like that of a curious friend.

“What’s with all the questions?” she asked. “You jealous?” She could see the enthusiasm in his eyes change. His expression took on a very serious tone, and he locked in on her in the way he often did when interviewing suspected criminals.

“Why did you slam an ice ax in that guy’s head?” he asked calmly.

Her eye flickered ever so slightly. He saw it, and she knew it. She smiled at him and then turned to look down behind her. She was vulnerable, and that didn’t sit well with her.

“Now that’s something you don’t hear every day,” she laughed but quickly turned serious as she turned toward him. “What makes you think?” She began to ask, but he shook his head, indicating there was no point in trying to lie, not to him. His expression coaxed her to answer. It was time to come clean.

“He lied to me, to get into my pants,” she proclaimed, but his expression didn’t change. He kept watching her.

“And he spit on Mother Chomolungma, on the mountain – the Goddess Mother of the World. That enraged me.” Matt continued to watch her face as he remembered what Vicki has warned him of. Eve was telling the truth, his instincts and his tradecraft convinced him of that.

“So you’re bipolar?” he asked, pushing for more. She didn’t answer.

“Was it the condom wrapper? Did he forget to dispose of it properly?” Matt suggested, pushing harder. Eve looked at him incredulously.

“So, what happens now?” she asked. “You going to try to throw me off?”

He wanted to show her that he had no intention of hurting her. But he also needed to be sure she couldn’t make a move on him. Animals are most dangerous when cornered. Matt smiled and backed a few feet away from her, never taking his eyes from hers. It’s in those moments, those blinks of an eye, that things happen.

“Nope,” he said. He opened the film door on her 35-millimeter camera, exposing it to the sun, and then handed the camera back to her. He thought for a few moments, taking in the scenery, and then said, “Unlock your phone and give it to me.” She was hesitant at first but then handed it to him. He then scrolled through her contacts and found his name, which he deleted. Then he went into her texts and deleted the ones they had exchanged. He went into her photos and looked for any images of him or the jet or the time they had spent together, dating back to Montreal and checking to make sure there were no photos of him from Quebec either. Then another thought came to mind.

“Did you have anything to do with Tilton’s death in Quebec?” he asked.

“Sort of. Vicki actually did the prick in,” she added, as if