Path of the Assassin Read Online Free PDF

next to impossible for them to see each other. In both of their occupations, the demands of career came first and personal lives second. Each had worked too hard to get where they were to give it all up and move to another country simply for love.
    Though Harvath refused to answer many of Claudia’s questions, not a day went by that he didn’t ask for access to Gerhard Miner. The Swiss felt they had cooperated fully and had provided unprecedented access to Miner already. Teams of interrogators from both the FBI and CIA, as well as a host of American diplomats had already paraded through the high security facility fifteen kilometers northeast of Bern where Miner was kept. One Secret Service agent, even one as bright as the Swiss realized Scot Harvath to be, was not going to make any difference, in their opinion. Miner had said everything to the Americans he was going to say. What’s more, Miner had told the Swiss that he would become extremely uncooperative if his government let Agent Harvath anywhere near him. He even threatened a lawsuit of his own. During the rescue of the president, Harvath had beaten Miner almost to death. Miner still bore much of the trauma, including not only one of the most severe cases of arthritis the Swiss prison doctors had ever seen, but also extensive nerve damage throughout his face from Harvath’s having shattered his jaw in seven places. No, the Swiss were not going to let Scot Harvath anywhere near Gerhard Miner. Even a direct appeal from the U.S. president, Jack Rutledge himself, had failed to move the Swiss.
    Had Claudia wanted, she could have gotten Scot access, but since he wasn’t cooperating with her, she wasn’t going to cooperate with him. Plain and simple.
    The thought was still lingering in his mind when the phone rang.
    “Mueller residence,” he said as he answered Claudia’s cordless.
    “Scot, it’s me,” replied Claudia.
    “Hi.”
    “Hi.”
    An awkward silence followed.
    “Listen, I want to tell you I’m sorry.”
    “Sorry for what?” he asked.
    “Things haven’t been good for us.”
    “I’m sorry too.”
    “You know I care for you very much.”
    “I know.”
    “It’s just…I don’t know that this is going to work out.”
    Even though he knew what she was talking about, he still had to ask, “You don’t know that what is going to work out?”
    “Us. A relationship. We went through something very difficult and very dangerous. It brought us together very fast, probably too fast, but our lives are very different. You have yours back in Washington, and I have mine here in Bern.” Then came the dreaded, “We can still be friends, though, right?”
    Scot ignored the question and said, “Claudia, why are you telling me this now, over the phone?”
    She was silent.
    “Claudia? Are you still there?”
    “Yes, I’m sorry, I was distracted. Things are very busy here now.”
    “You still haven’t answered my question.”
    “It’s been moved up.”
    “‘Moved up’? What are you talking about?”
    “Miner’s case. His attorneys made a motion to the judge that we thought we could knock down. We failed. There’s a preliminary hearing this morning and Miner will be present. With the trial moved up, I am going to have a lot of work to do. I’m going to be keeping late hours and I just think maybe we should stop things between us now.”
    Harvath, usually never at a loss for words or a snappy comeback, for once in his life was silent.
    “Scot, are you okay?” asked Claudia.
    “How long have you known about this?”
    “About the hearing? I have known for a couple of days.”
    “What’s your security like? What do you have in place?”
    “Don’t worry, Agent Harvath, the Americans aren’t the only ones who know how to transport a prisoner and secure a courtroom.”
    “Claudia, from what you have told me about this Jamek character in Macau—”
    “Scot, I don’t have time for this, and I don’t want to listen to you lie to me about what