Too anxious to attempt to focus on translating, and impatient for the man to leave and clear her line of sight, Cate assumed he’d asked what she’d like to drink. “Weißwein, bitte.”
The waiter gave a curt nod.
As soon as he stepped away, Brunner appeared and slipped into a seat with his back to the building, his gaze darting around the square. His hair stood on end, and the lines around his eyes were deeper. Dark shadows made crescents beneath his eyes. “You are alone?” he asked, his tone so low Cate had to lean in to hear his words.
She gave a slight shake of her head. “My man is nearby in case this is a setup.”
Brunner’s brow creased in a heavy line. “I am not here to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” He briefly met her gaze before continuing his surveillance of the people in the square. “I cannot stay long. I might have been followed. My life is no longer my own, and I fear for my family. They do not deserve what I have brought upon them.” He shook his head. “I should not have come. You should not have come to the bank.”
Cate frowned. “Then why did you come tonight?”
“The woman you spoke of, the one in jail?” Again, he shook his head. “She is safer where she is.”
“She didn’t kill Marcus Calloway,” Cate insisted. “I believe he’s still alive.”
Brunner nodded, drew in a breath and let it out, as if in an attempt to calm his frayed nerves. “I have managed the Alpenhorn account for the past year. I moved money in and out of that account based on handwritten instructions.”
“Does Marcus Calloway own the account?” Cate asked.
Brunner darted another glance her way and then went back to his obsessive scanning of the square full of people. “Herr Calloway was never the owner of the account.”
“Do you know if he is alive?” Cate asked.
Brunner shrugged. “If he is dead, I do not think his wife killed him. The foreign partner would have done the job. Herr Calloway cheated him.”
“Foreign partner?” Cate touched the banker’s arm. “What foreign partner?”
“Mein Gott.” Brunner stiffened, his face blanched and his gaze locked on something or someone in the square.
Cate followed the direction he was facing.
“They’re here,” he said, his voice shaking as he pushed to his feet. “I shouldn’t have come.”
Cate stood in front of him, blocking his escape. “Who’s the partner? Who owns that account?”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have come.”
When he started to step around her, she shifted to block him.
He bumped into her and stumbled.
Cate reached for his hand to steady him.
Brunner pressed something into her palm and whispered what sounded like, “Remember one-five-seven.” Then he darted away.
Cate spun to follow.
One minute, Brunner was there. The next, he was gone, having disappeared into a crowd of Japanese tourists, led by a guide carrying a flag on an extension rod.
She ran to the edge of the group that had converged in a tight knot, as they entered a narrow street. Desperate to stop Brunner, Cate pushed through the throng.
Draco appeared at her side, gently moving people aside to make a path for Cate. “What happened?”
“He was about to tell me who owned the Alpenhorn account when something or someone spooked him. Before I could stop him, he’d bolted.”
Emerging on the other side of the large group, Cate scanned the street, the shadows and the people walking back to their hotels. None of them were Brunner. “He’s gone,” she said. “Damn it.”
Draco stood close to her, turning all about, his gaze sweeping the area. “Someone spooked him. Maybe he had the right idea to get the hell out of there. We should do the same.” He cupped her elbow and hustled her to the next street, looking over his shoulder as they turned.