Retribution

NINETEEN

Harry looked up to find Carl Pendry grinning down at him, his dark skin gleaming under the soft lights. He was dressed in chinos and a pale shirt, his arm muscles bulging under the thin fabric.

‘For a minute there I thought a human being had walked in,’ Harry responded drily. ‘But it’s just a robot grunt in civilian clothes.’

Pendry looked affronted. ‘Hey, white boy, don’t diss the threads — they cost serious money!’ He bent to kiss Gail on the cheek. ‘Hi, honey — sorry I’m late. This guy giving you trouble?’

Gail smiled and returned the kiss. ‘No, he’s been a perfect gentleman. You could learn a thing or two from him.’

Pendry rolled his eyes. ‘Why is it all you women think the sun sets on ginnelmen?’ He threw a mock scowl at Harry. ‘See what you done, comin’ down here wit yo’ fancy English ways? It’s gonna take me weeks to get her back to likin’ our brutal southern style.’

Gail stood up, her hand on Pendry’s arm. ‘I’ve got to go look after these convention folks. See you tomorrow?’ Pendry nodded and Gail smiled at Harry. ‘It’s been nice meeting you. If you need to stay longer, let me know.’

Harry stood up and nodded. ‘That’s very kind.’

They watched her walk away, then sat down.

‘Have you eaten yet?’ Pendry asked, his voice becoming serious. ‘I guess you want to talk.’

‘That would be good.’

They went into the restaurant and ordered, sitting away from the door so they wouldn’t be interrupted. Over drinks, they quickly caught up on the years since Kosovo.

For Harry it was out of the army and into the Security Service, then civilian life; for Pendry it was a standard round of military postings around the world until he became a senior instructor at the Airborne School, Fort Benning. When talk got round to the other members of the CP team, Harry judged the time right to tell him what had happened.

Pendry said nothing until Harry concluded with the murder of a young girl. He left it until last so that he could judge the other man’s reaction.

‘You serious?’ Pendry looked shocked. ‘Man, they weren’t into any of that shit. Broms — he’s what we’d call a good ol’ farm boy; the Frenchman was too professional to crap crooked. As for shakin’ it with the locals?’ He shook his head in bafflement. ‘When did we get the time?’

‘That’s what I thought.’ Harry told him about the third killing in New York, of the Marine, Carvalho. ‘Did you speak to him?’

‘Said hi, probably. He was in the compound after the others left, but he seemed a regular guy — for a Marine, anyway. He get cut the same way?’

‘Yes. He fought back, but it didn’t do any good.’

Pendry looked keenly at him. ‘You figure this killer’s working his way through the whole convoy? That’s crazy.’ He went silent as the waitress came with their food.

Harry shrugged and began to eat. ‘Maybe he doesn’t know who he’s after, so he’s hunting down everyone on the list until he finds the guilty man. That’s why I’m doing the rounds. Deane’s sending out a warning to the rest of the convoy personnel.’ He put his fork down. ‘I’m going to see Bikovsky next. Do you know why he left the army?’

Pendry shook his head. ‘Nothing personal. Had a beef about refugees and asylum seekers, but he’s not alone in that. Maybe he was burned out. It happens.’ He gave Harry a hard look. ‘But you’re not here just to give me a warning, are you?’

‘You’ve lost me,’ Harry said easily.

‘Yeah, right.’ Pendry’s friendly demeanour was gone. ‘You really trailed all the way out here to warn me that I might have a killer freak on my ass? Bikovsky, too? And — what was his name — Koslov? You going all the way to Minsk or Leningrad to warn him? You never heard of the phone?’

A couple of businessmen at a nearby table glanced across as Pendry’s words reached them, and the waitress at a dessert trolley paused in the middle of spooning out some gateau.

‘Moscow, actually,’ Harry replied. ‘And if I have to, yes.’

Pendry pushed his plate away. ‘I’m done,’ he hissed. ‘You want to ask me did I run a card game while I was running cover for the UN big cheese? Or in my free time, did I kill and rape a local girl?’

‘If I’d thought it was you,’ Harry said, quietly dispassionate, ‘we wouldn’t be sitting here. If the rumours are true, someone did it. It’s my job to find out who — and stop the rest of you joining Orti, Broms and Carvalho. One of you might have seen something — something completely innocent-looking but possibly significant. Asking on the phone wouldn’t have been enough. . I have to do it face to face.’

The quiet force of Harry’s words drove the anger out of Pendry like air from a tyre. After a second or two he waved a hand and sat back. ‘Sorry. I thought you were looking at me for this thing.’

‘I’m looking at everyone. And I’m a suspect, too. We all are — those of us who are left.’

‘So what now?’

‘You watch your back. This killer’s taken out three good men so far — all combat trained. If it’s revenge for the girl he’s after, he’s got one hell of an incentive.’

Harry went to his room after saying goodbye to Pendry and lay down to let his mind go blank. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at his door. He opened it and stood back.

‘Hello, dear,’ said Rik Ferris, walking past him. He looked tired and rumpled from the flight, his hair even more spiky than usual. He was carrying a travel bag and a laptop case. ‘Nice hotel, this. Which is my bed?’

‘Your room’s down the hall. You’ll have to check in,’ Harry told him. ‘Any problems?’ He was referring to the flight over.

Rik shook his head. ‘No. Normal crap with immigration, but nothing unusual.’

They had discussed Rik’s involvement and decided on discretion while on the move. Former MI5 officers were not normally high on anyone’s suspect or watch list but Rik had been involved in the same shooting incident in central London as Harry a few months before, and they didn’t want to take a chance on his being stopped by an eagle-eyed security officer. And Harry already knew from the Irina Demescu episode how leaky the UN was. Having Rik in the background under an assumed name, rather than some nameless IT geek in the depths of UN Plaza, was a simple precaution.

‘This is for emergencies only.’ Harry handed him the UN ID card and the Ruger with a spare magazine.

Rik studied the name on the card. ‘Wasn’t there a Jim Morrison who killed himself?’

‘Is that a problem?’

Rik shrugged. ‘No, that’s cool. Way before my time, anyway.’ He checked the Ruger and inserted a magazine, then ejected it again. ‘Nice. Who do I get to shoot?’

Harry was watching him carefully. Rik was smiling but it didn’t quite look right. He knew why: Rik was thinking about the time he’d used a gun in London. He’d got shot then, but still kept firing. That kind of thing stays with you.

‘Nobody, I hope. You’re my back-stop. You stay below the parapet at all times. We don’t even travel together.’

‘Don’t you trust your new best friend?’

‘It’s not Deane who bothers me: the UN’s full of holes and I’d rather you didn’t figure on anyone’s radar. That way we keep an advantage.’

Rik nodded. ‘Fine.’ He put the gun down and produced two mobile phones. He handed one to Harry. ‘We keep in touch with these. I’ve already fed in my number. Use it and lose it if you have to — we can always get replacements. Deane has your UK mobile number, don’t forget; if he wants to find you, he’ll put a trace on the signal.’

‘You’re as paranoid as me.’

Rik gave a crooked smile. ‘I learned from the master.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ Harry pointed at the internet connection on the side table. ‘Plug in and boot up. We’ve got work to do.’