Page 100 of The Nameless Ones

‘Well, his illuminated head is above the parapet now. Even allowing for precautions, he’s taken a chance by contacting you directly. Our assumption would be that he had overall responsibility for ensuring those two operatives arrived safely in Paris. When they were killed at Gare de Lyon, the blame stopped at his door. If he doesn’t get compensation from the Vuksans – which, as you pointed out, would certainly involve blood as well as money – he’ll either end up with his throat cut or be strapped into an explosive vest and dropped off at the nearest mall.’

‘But you’d like him alive and in custody,’ said Louis.

‘Alive would be preferable,’ said Harris, ‘but dead will also do.’

‘You mess this up, and they may come after me.’

‘They may come after you anyway, but I think we can make it seem as though whatever happens to Rafi is just bad luck or the will of Allah. Still, it’ll be tight. We’ll have a location on him as soon as he calls you back, but if he’s covering his tracks, he’ll ditch the SIM immediately after the call has ended. You’ll have to find a way to draw him and his people out, so we can be sure where to find them.’

‘I can use Frend as bait,’ said Louis. ‘I know where he’s staying.’

‘They might take a run at him before we’re ready.’

‘I’ll give them something, but not enough. When do I make the call?’

‘Ready when you are. We’re all set up.’

‘Give me ten minutes,’ said Louis. ‘I want to have my green tea.’

Chapter LXXVI

Anton Frend’s wife called him as he was drinking a glass of whisky in his hotel room. She hadn’t heard from their daughter in two days and was starting to worry. She and Pia usually spoke once a day, sometimes even more. When Frend’s wife was annoyed with him – an increasingly frequent occurrence as their marriage endured its slow death – she had conducted the early parts of these conversations within earshot, just in case he needed to be reminded that she still had a relationship with their child while he did not. Now Frend enjoyed a frisson of pleasure at being privy to knowledge about their daughter that was denied his wife, even as he realized that he couldn’t have her going to the police with her concerns. He managed to talk her down, assuring her that he would use his contacts in England to make inquiries if she had still not heard from Pia by close of business the next day. By then, Frend felt certain, Zivco Ilic would have led those responsible straight to the Vuksans, and his daughter would be released.

He was convinced of this for a number of reasons. The first was that he believed he now knew the identity of at least one of those involved in his daughter’s abduction: it was the man named Louis, the hunter believed by the Vuksans to be seeking revenge for the killings in Amsterdam. If Frend was right – and it was, he admitted, a calculated gamble – Louis was an individual with something approaching a conscience, and would therefore be unwilling to add the death of an innocent young woman. Actually, Frend’s fears for his daughter’s safety had also been alleviated slightly by the newspaper in the video. The Guardian might have represented many of the liberal values that Frend disdained, but he did not think it would be the first choice of journal for someone intent on torturing and killing a kidnap victim, even if it were only to be used as a prop. Had Pia been pictured holding one of the more salacious British tabloids, Frend might have felt less confident in his reasoning.

He heard a couple arguing in the next room and turned up the TV to drown out the noise. He also emptied another bottle from the minibar. He knew he was drinking more than he should, but sometimes life left a man with little option. Frend was experiencing a sense of regret at what would soon befall Radovan Vuksan, although not enough to warn Radovan that Louis was near. Frend had always enjoyed Radovan’s company, and had benefited in many ways from their relationship, both personally and financially. But Radovan’s complicity in the Amsterdam killings had rendered him toxic, and he had contaminated his legal advisor by association. Radovan’s death, however much it might pain Frend, was the necessary equivalent of amputating a necrotized limb lest the body entire should succumb to fatal infection. If only Radovan had been ruthless enough to take the same steps with his brother. Had the positions been reversed, Frend believed Spiridon would not have allowed fraternal loyalty to stand in the way of his own continuance.

Frend raised a glass to his reflection.

‘Zum Überleben,’ he said.

To survival.

Chapter LXXVII

Once Louis had drained the last of his green tea, he called the number given to him by Mr Rafi. As he listened to it ringing, he mused on the chain of events that had led him to this juncture: a man who had spent most of his adult life avoiding the attention of authorities in any number of countries, now exposing himself to the highest possible level of surveillance. Much of this was Charlie Parker’s fault. It was just lucky for all involved that Louis was fond of him.

His call, as anticipated, wasn’t answered, and was terminated after four rings without redirection to a message service. Seconds later, Louis’s phone vibrated with an incoming call from a withheld source. Louis hit the green button, and Rafi’s voice said, ‘I wondered if you’d get in touch, but I’m glad you did.’

Louis thought that Mr Rafi was probably being sincere, if for purely homicidal reasons. Rafi’s life was in peril, and it had forced him to take chances he would have preferred to avoid. By establishing a means of communication, he risked betrayal, but he was relying on the threat of reprisal to keep Louis in line.

Except Louis knew that Rafi was damaged goods. One more false step, and his own people would cut him loose.

‘I needed some time to run the numbers,’ said Louis.

‘On what?’

‘On my chances of hitting the Vuksans and getting away clean, against yours.’

‘What did you decide?’

‘That it doesn’t much matter who kills them, as long as someone does,’ said Louis. ‘If you fail, and get shot by the Vuksans or the Austrians, the world will be a better place, and I’ll come at the Vuksans again when the opportunity arises. If you succeed, and get shot by the Austrians after, the world will be an even better place. It’s a win-win situation for the world and me. Only a sap wouldn’t let another sap do his dirty work for him.’

‘That’s very admirably unidealistic of you. So, what do you have for me?’

‘The lawyer, Frend, is staying at a hotel in the city. You spooked him by hanging around outside his office. You should have been less conspicuous.’

‘Which hotel, and what name is he using?’

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