Night deepened.
Alger arrived outside the dilapidated house where Danitz was hiding, carrying a heavy black suitcase large enough to hold an adult.
He knocked rhythmically on the door, using their agreed-upon signal.
Soon, the door opened a crack from inside. Danitz poked his head out warily. Only after seeing that it was Alger did he open the door and let him in.
"Well? Did you settle the bounty?" Danitz made no mention of the corpse, getting straight to the point with an urgency he could not conceal.
"They've agreed to pay it." Alger set the suitcase on the floor and stepped into the room, putting on a troubled expression. "But the amount hasn't been settled yet. From what they said, I'd estimate five or six thousand pounds."
"Shit! That little?!" Half the anticipation vanished from Danitz's face at once, and he cursed in disappointment. "Was that ten thousand pounds on the poster just for show?"
"The bounty does specify that he has to be alive." Alger spread his hands. "I'll try to negotiate a little more for you. But for now,
"I need to take 'Brando's' corpse with me and hand it over to their people."
To show his "sincerity," and also to keep Danitz from growing suspicious, he took the thick envelope Ozil had given him out of his coat and handed it over.
"This is their advance payment. Fifteen hundred pounds. You can take it first."
Danitz accepted the hefty envelope, opened it in front of Alger, and deftly counted the banknotes inside.
The sight of cold, hard cash eased much of his disappointment. Seeing how "sincere" Alger was, he said nothing more, nodded, and led him into a partitioned room.
"Brando's" corpse lay on a shabby blanket.
Alger noticed that the spirituality in the room was