Polar Quest

65

Kilkenny walked with Tao along the riverbank of the Rive Droite. The Seine glittered with the lights of Paris, a glow with which only the brightest of the night stars could compete.

‘Are you going back tomorrow?’ Tao asked.

‘Yes. I want to see Eames as soon as possible. His attorney is working on getting him out on bail until all the new evidence can be processed and the charges dropped. It’s still a mess, but at least there’s a positive end in sight.’

‘What about Martineau?’

‘Eventually, she’ll be extradited to stand trial for the murders of Sutton and Olson. French and American authorities are also going over Cerberus to identify which of Duroc’s men were involved in the raid on LV Station.’

‘Are they going after Vielogic as well?’

‘I don’t think so. The Vielogic board has been very cooperative, and the evidence so far suggests Lafitte did all this on his own. The rest of Vielogic’s board will get immunity in exchange for full disclosure of all Lafitte’s activities and the return of everything stolen from LV Station. The SEC is also going after the money Duroc made on his short sale — something to do with illegal stock manipulation. Speaking of stock, I forgot to mention something I did before I came to Paris.’

‘What?’ Tao asked

‘Just a little trade,’ Kilkenny said smugly. ‘Actually Duroc gave me the idea.’

‘You didn’t?’

‘Yes, I did. And so did you, or at least your company. I put together my own little holding company — composed of Qi, UGene, MARC, Grin, and myself — and we shorted Vielogic. I checked CNN just before we went to dinner. Vielogic has taken a terrible hit. Collectively, we’re up about twenty-two million.’

‘Aren’t you concerned the SEC will frown on what you’ve done?’

‘No, my trade was based on exposing the truth, not the commission of a felony.’

When they reached the point where the river widened and split around the Ile de la Cité, Tao led him onto the long span of Pont Neuf. At the center, Tao stopped and gazed at the island that was the heart of Paris. Beyond the elegant mansions and regal government buildings loomed the towers of Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame.

‘Well, Nolan, this is the real Pont Neuf,’ Tao said, not taking her eyes from the view. ‘The name means New Bridge, but it’s the oldest one in Paris. What do you think?’

‘It’s spectacular. Definitely a place to take a stroll with a beautiful woman,’ Kilkenny said wistfully.

‘I’ll take that as a compliment, even though you sound a bit disappointed.’

‘Sorry, Roxanne,’ Kilkenny said, realizing his faux pas. ‘My mind was elsewhere.’

Tao reached over and clasped Kilkenny’s hand. ‘I want to apologize for my less than congenial attitude during these past few weeks. Accepting this assignment was difficult for me, and I took some of my anger out on you. In the future, I will try to be more amiable.’

Kilkenny looked at Tao as she spoke and could see this was hard for her. She hadn’t volunteered for this job and accepting it meant that the alternative was, in her mind, even worse.

‘This has all the appearances of an olive branch, Roxanne. I accept.’

‘I think you and I are alike in that there aren’t many people in this world we consider true friends. I know it is a term that I don’t use lightly.’

‘Friendship is something that’s earned, like respect and loyalty.’

Tao slipped her arms around Kilkenny’s neck and drew him close; the suddenness of the move caught him off guard.

‘You’ve earned that,’ she said, ‘and more.’