Liberation Day

Chapter 29

I had just started moving toward the stone steps when Hubba-Hubba came on the net. “Stand by, stand by. Vehicle toward you. N, acknowledge.”

Click, click.

Not that I needed him to tell me. The unmistakable sound of a VW camper thud-thud-thudded its way around the edge of the marina. I sat halfway up the concrete steps and waited for it to park, before moving toward the OP.

I followed the pathway until it reached the main drag, and turned right toward the Mégane.

Lotfi came on the net. I couldn’t see Hubba-Hubba but I knew he was around somewhere. He wouldn’t show himself until he saw me.

As I drew level with the car, I spotted him farther up the road. I waited for him to join me, and we crouched in the shadows behind the hedge. “What did you do that for?” I said. “Getting the police down here could have been an absolute nightmare.”

He grinned. “It stopped those people seeing you, didn’t it?”

I nodded: he had a point.

“In any case, I’ve always wanted to do that.”

I nodded again: so had I. “What did you use to smash the window?”

“One of the metal weights they use to keep the parasols in place. Those windows are quite tough, you know.”

“I need to ask you something.” I wiped my running nose. “Is there anywhere in your area where I can send an e-mail right now? It might be important. One of the guys on the boat was with Greaseball last night. He’s a Brit, early to mid-thirties, skinny, long black curly hair. Looks like the guitarist out of Queen, you know who I mean?”

He ignored the stupid second question and thought for a few seconds about the first. “The main train station in Nice. They have some of those cyberpoints. There are maybe four or five of them. I think they lock the station at night, but I’m not sure. There are definitely two outside.”

I briefed Hubba-Hubba on what I had seen inside the boat, and told him to pass it on to Lotfi while I went to Nice. “Tell Lotfi to keep a trigger until I get back. And if they move before that, you two just have fun!” I slapped him on the shoulder. I checked the sidewalk for people, then stepped out and went back to the Mégane.

Driving past the entrance to the marina and on up toward Lotfi’s position, I listened in as Hubba-Hubba briefed Lotfi on the net, then I started to work out the code words I was going to need in the e-mail.

I drove along the coast toward Nice. At this time of the morning the city was dead. A few cars passed me, and the odd loving couple or lost soul wandered among the brightly lit storefronts.

The main station was a grand nineteenth-century building, with plenty of modern steel and glass now complementing huge blocks of granite. The area around it was filled with the usual array of kebab stalls, sex shops, newsstands, and souvenir shops.

Hubba-Hubba had been right: the station was closed, probably to prevent it becoming a homeless refuge at night. The two cyberpoints he’d mentioned were among a cluster of maybe six or seven brightly lit glass phone booths to the left of the main entrance. The only cameras I saw were focused on the entrance. I continued driving past and squeezed into the only space I could see, down a side road.

The cyberpoint was exactly the same as the one in Cap 3000. I slipped on my latex gloves, inserted my phone card, got on to e-mail.

I started to tap out with two fingers, gradually getting faster.

It was good to see you yesterday. Guess what? I think you had better move a lot faster if you want to get together with Susanna. There’s this guy I’ve just seen her with. I don’t know his name, but you might know him, he’s got long, dark, curly hair. In his mid-thirties and English. Do you know him? Anyway, he’s getting about quite a bit. I also saw him and Jenny together last night, which looked a bit suspicious as they obviously know each other very well, and it certainly seems that this guy tells Jenny everything. Did you know about this or is Jenny keeping that a secret from you? Sorry if this is sad news, but I just thought you’d like to know. Is there anything you want to tell me? If so I can come around after work tomorrow night. I would say have a nice day, but maybe not.

P.S. I gave your present to Susanna, she loves red.

I closed down and pulled out my phone card. If George had anything new to tell me, or if I needed to change the plan, I’d pick it up at the DOP tomorrow night.