The Black Sun Conspiracy

Chapter Forty-Two

The Gaunt Box proved to be less of a box and more of a vault. In order to access it Barrington had to enter a long combination of numbers and submit to another palm scan before the locks clunked back and let him in. He hauled the crate into place, and as he did so Sam stole a glance over his shoulder.

He expected to see a treasure trove, a glimpse of a tiny fraction of the unrecovered Nazi art haul. Instead he saw only blank stone walls. Either the Gaunt Box was seldom used or it was emptied frequently.

“I have done my duty,” the concierge said, dusting off his hands as he came out of the vault. “I trust it is to your satisfaction. No-one else shall enter that vault until Madame de Beck arrives to collect the crate, or until someone is dispatched with her note of hand. Shall we return upstairs?”

They resumed their plush velvet seats in the lift and sat in silence as it transported them back to the ground floor. Sam, Nina and Professor Lehmann were each lost in their own thoughts, or in no thoughts at all, overwhelmed and blank. They walked back along the dim corridor. They allowed Barrington to show them out of his office, back through the lobby and to the main doors.

“If there is anything else I can do to help you, please let me know,” he said, bowing slightly as he ushered them towards the exit.

“Thank you,” said Professor Lehmann, “but I think a cab is all that we require.”

Considering that it was such a short distance from the Savoy back to Peter Street, Sam almost laughed out loud at the idea of taking a taxi. He remembered the distances he had walked in his London days, just to avoid feeling cooped up and crushed on the Tube. It was a different city if you got to know it by walking. Still, Professor Lehmann was an old man and the day’s exertions were starting to tell on him. He leaned on his cane a little more heavily now, and his breath was more ragged. After all the help he had given them, neither Sam nor Nina would have allowed him a moment’s unnecessary discomfort.

“So what do we do now?” Sam asked once they were settled into the taxi. “Presumably we go back to Bruges and talk to Renata?”

“I think so,” said Nina.

“Then I hope that you will accept an invitation to stay with me for tonight,” said Professor Lehmann. “You have completed your task, but I see no reason why you have to rush back straight away. I have plenty of room for guests, and you must be hungry. We can order in a good dinner and you can get a proper night’s sleep before you return.”

Sam and Nina exchanged a glance. “You’re sure?” Nina asked. “I’d love to say yes — I’ll admit that I’m completely wiped and I’d really appreciate a place to sleep. But I don’t want to put you in any more danger, and I can’t imagine that associating with us is particularly safe. Not until we’ve settled things with Renata and the Order.”

Lehmann waved away her concerns. “Whatever trouble I am in,” he said, “I am already in it. Do accept. Please. Nothing would please me more than to spend some time with you and get to know Mr. Cleave a little better. I may even be able to find you legitimate transport back to Belgium, but not until morning.”

“Then yes, please,” said Nina. “Thank you. I’ve no idea how we would have done this without you. As you saw, we weren’t exactly the world’s greatest cat burglars.”

“We’ll leave that sort of thing to the professionals in future,” Sam said. The conversation turned to the all-important subject of what kind of take-away to order as the cab turned onto Peter Street and drew up outside Professor Lehmann’s house. By the time they had climbed out, paid the driver and unlocked the door, they were reaching the consensus that Chinese food would be the best option. Sam’s mouth was beginning to water in anticipation of sweet and sour chicken and egg fried rice as they climbed the stairs. Professor Lehmann showed them to the guest room, where two neatly-made brass beds stood ready, and then they sat in the study and sipped Pernot until a knock on the door indicated that the food had arrived.

“I’ll go.” Nina stood up and stretched, then headed down to answer the door, while the two men readied themselves for a leisurely conversation. As he sipped at the cool rim of his glass, Sam heard Nina’s voice from downstairs.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Of all the strange things that Sam had ever seen, the sight of Alexandr Arichenkov sitting casually in a leather armchair in an elegant London townhouse was among the strangest. The man looked out of place anywhere that did not smell of diesel or smoke, and his presence made no sense in a place as refined as this.

The Order had sent him. He evidently did not know why. Renata had instructed him to follow Sam and Nina to London and be on hand to bring them back when she gave the word. Alexandr, who never questioned an order that came with a significant sum of money attached, had done as he was bid.

“How did you keep track of us?” Sam asked. “We checked our clothes for GPS trackers and the like.”

“Ah, I had hoped you would not ask me!” Alexandr grinned like a devil. “It is one of Purdue’s devices, and you know how he loves to give these explanations himself. The nanotracker which gave me your position is in the cards.” He pulled out what looked like a smartphone and consulted it. “The cards are currently in your left hand pocket, Nina.”

By the way Nina’s hand flew to her pocket Sam knew Alexandr was right. Not that there was any reason to doubt him. The Order of the Black Sun tended to have accurate technology, in Sam’s experience.

“Now, my instructions are to transport all three of you back to headquarters as swiftly as possible. A plane is ready for us at Northolt, and I—”

“Wait,” said Sam, “All three of us? Why all three of us? Why do you need to drag Professor Lehmann all the way over the Belgium?”

“It is an express order from his son,” said Alexandr “Will you comply, Professor?”

“Oh, Jesus,” Nina chipped in, rolling her eyes at Steven Lehmann’s audacity.

Professor Lehmann’s jaw was tight. “I will,” he said. “I do not appreciate being ordered this way, but I think it is time that I had a word with my son.”