Afraid of the Dark

Chapter Seventy-four

Shada is sitting with the girl!” said Jack.

Jack was speaking into his cell phone, pacing back and forth in front of a crowded merchant booth. He had Chuck on the line.

“What girl?” asked Chuck.

“The one who called me yesterday after Jamal’s uncle rescued her.”

“Are you sure?”

A couple of restaurant owners were haggling with a South African lobster salesman, and it was getting loud. Jack stepped away.

“I’m sure it’s her,” Jack said. “I recognized the voice right away. Then I lost audio. I’m still in the trading hall about two hundred feet away, but I think I saw Shada take the battery out of her phone.”

“That’s the one way to deactivate the spyware,” said Chuck. “What can you see now?”

Jack’s gaze shifted back to the cafe. “They’re still sitting at the table talking to each other. No, wait. The girl just answered her cell phone. She’s handing it to Shada. Shada’s talking to someone. This is getting really weird.”

“Agreed, but the possibilities are limited.”

A forklift with bags of ice rolled down the aisle. Jack dodged out of the way. “Limited in what way?”

“Only two ways for that girl to have known how to find Shada. Either Shada made contact and told her where she was going. Or she’s here on behalf of the same lunatic who kept her in a cellar.”

Jack thought about it. “Like I said: This is getting weird.”

“Don’t call the police just yet,” said Chuck. “Let’s see where this leads. As long as they’re in the building and in your sights, the situation is under control.”

“Will do,” said Jack.

“I’m sorry,” Shada said into the phone, pleading. “From the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that.”

“You had no right to copy files from my computer,” the Dark said.

“I should never have listened to Chuck.”

“You screwed up everything, Shada.”

“No, listen to me. I never gave the flash drives to anyone. Definitely not to Chuck. I haven’t even looked at all the video.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth.”

There was silence on the line. The girl sat all the way back in her chair, arms folded tightly, as if trying to figure Shada out. Shada avoided making eye contact.

“Habib, are you still there?” There was just enough noise around to keep Shada from distinguishing dead air from the sound of Habib mulling things over. Finally, he answered.

“Tell me why I should believe you, Shada. Why should I believe anything you say?”

Shada tried to stay cool, especially in front of the girl. But it wasn’t easy, knowing that the wrong words could be fatal. She cupped her hand and covered her mouth-an extra precaution against being overheard.

“Because I have a quarter million pounds in my backpack for you,” she said.

“That’s a good start,” he said. “Give the backpack to the girl.”

“It’s not that simple,” she said.

“Give it to her.”

“Wait,” she said, a bit unnerved by his tone. “You need to know that there’s a tracking chip embedded in one of the bills. Chuck can follow the money wherever it goes.”

“Do you have any idea which bill?”

“Yes. Chuck told me this morning. But knowing Chuck, I’m sure there’s more than one.”

“Is there someplace you can go to check the other bills?”

Shada lowered her voice further, increasingly nervous about holding so much cash. “Even if I had the time to do that-there are five hundred notes here-it’s a microchip I’d be looking for. It isn’t easy to see, unless you know it’s there.”

“That’s a problem.”

“If your personal assistant here brings the money to you, the police are sure to follow.”

“That’s an even bigger problem.”

“I can fix it,” said Shada. “Let me come with her. I’ll bring the money to you personally.”

“That doesn’t fix anything.”

“Yes, it does,” said Shada.

“What difference does it make if you come or not?”

Had the girl not been watching her, the cell phone would have been shaking in Shada’s hand. She kept her nerves in check.

“All the difference in the world,” said Shada. “I have a plan.”