Present Danger

52

‘The wind’s getting up,’ said Liz. She was watching the yachts in the marina through the window of the restaurant where they were having an early supper. ‘It won’t stop us going, will it?’ she enquired anxiously.

‘It’s the mistral. It comes and goes at this time of the year. But don’t worry,’ said Martin Seurat with a smile. ‘It would take a hurricane force ten to stop Laval and his colleagues. It may mean they’ll change the plan and load the rigid inflatables onto a frigate rather than sailing them out from the base. But that’ll be a lot more comfortable, I can tell you. Have you ever been in one of those inflatables? They’re not pleasant, especially if the sea is rough.’

‘When will they decide?’

‘Some time in the next few hours. The weather is very uncertain on this coast at this time of the year. The wind may drop again.’

‘I thought down here in the south of France it was always warm and sunny. Shows how much I know.’

There was silence as they drank their coffee. Then Liz said, ‘The waiting is always the worst part. I feel far more nervous in the run-up to an operation than when it’s actually under way. And this one isn’t even in our hands – there’s nothing for us to do but wait.’

‘You’re right. Wait, and hope that it will all go well. But I think we have every reason to expect that it will.’

She smiled at him. ‘You are an optimist, Martin. I just hope you’re right.’

‘In our line of work you have to be optimistic. You expect to succeed, or you’d never do anything. It’s what drives us on. Don’t you agree?’

‘That’s true. But there’s always in the back of your mind the thought that things might go wrong – and the consequences if they did.’ She thought of Dave and the consequences for him if things didn’t work out in the next few hours.

‘That’s what this job is all about: the excitement, and the fear. But there’s also the satisfaction when things do go right. Whatever happens, at least it’s never boring. That’s a great help when other things aren’t going so well.’

Liz looked at him, sensing that he wanted to say more. ‘Is there something in your life that hasn’t gone well?’ she asked gently.

He gave a small shrug. ‘Recently there was.’ He sighed, then seemed to decide he wanted to tell her about it. ‘One Friday, last year, my wife suddenly announced that she was going to Alsace for the weekend. I was surprised because she hadn’t mentioned it before. I was even more surprised when the weekend ended and she hadn’t come back.’ He gave Liz a wry look. ‘She never did come back. She had neglected to tell me that she was still in love with her first boyfriend.’

‘That’s awful. I’m so sorry.’

Seurat shrugged. ‘I was sorry too at first. Very sorry. But it’s history now. We’ve been divorced for six months. And that’s where the job came in. However bad I felt at the time, I always felt better the moment I got to work.’

Liz said nothing, but she knew what he meant. When her personal life had seemed especially bleak (there’d been Mark the married Guardian journalist, Piet the Dutch banker who’d dropped her, and always, the tantalisingly unavailable Charles Wetherby), she had always found one consolation. The job. As a cure for heartache it was unbeatable.

‘Anyway,’ Seurat said, ‘that’s enough of that. If you’ve finished, I’ll get the bill. I propose we walk back to the base through the town and I’ll show you Milraud’s shop. It’ll be shut by now so no chance of meeting the so-discreet Madame Dipeau. She’s given nothing away since Isabelle and I called in there. No phone calls except strictly business ones, and she hasn’t been out in the evenings at all.’

Half an hour later they were back at the gates of the naval base. Liz was hoping to catch a few hours’ sleep before the three-thirty a.m. rendezvous. But she had not been in her room for more than ten minutes when the telephone on the desk rang. It was Seurat. ‘Liz. I’m sorry to disturb you but there’s something I need to show you.’

Her stomach lurched. Was it some bad news about Dave? At the bottom of the stairs Seurat was standing, clutching a sheet of paper and his face had lost its usual calm expression. As soon as she was within earshot he said, ‘I’ve had an email from Antoine.’ He handed her the paper, and as she read it, he said, ‘He says he can hand over your colleague.’

Liz read the email carefully, making sure she completely understood the French. She looked at Seurat, mystified. ‘I don’t get it. This can’t be what he’s been planning all along or he would have been in touch before. What do you think’s going on, Martin?’

‘There must have been a different plan that hasn’t worked out. I think he knows we’re getting close; Annette’s been sending him emails and she’ll have told him the noose is tightening. Milraud’s trying to leave Piggott and his Spanish hit man to face the music, while he cuts a deal to save his own skin. That’s typical of him.’

Liz thought for a moment. ‘You know Milraud – I don’t. But I don’t see how he can deliver on this offer.’ She waved the printout with one hand. ‘I can’t believe Piggott would ever let it happen. He’s too astute for that, and suspicious to the point of paranoia. And don’t forget, Gonzales works for Piggott, not Milraud – I think if Piggott knew about this email he wouldn’t hesitate to order Gonzales to kill him.’

‘I would think Antoine’s getting desperate. He’s caught between a rock and a – how do you say it?’

Liz just smiled, for she was thinking hard. Seurat waited, then he said, ‘How would you like to proceed? It is after all your colleague who’s at risk.’

She said, ‘I need to consult my head office. But I also need your view – do you think Milraud can deliver what he’s promising?’

Seurat thought for a moment. ‘I think he wants to, in part to redeem himself. But whether he can depends on the situation on the island, and that we don’t know.’

‘Exactly,’ said Liz.

‘One thing I do know is that Antoine can look after himself. I would be surprised if even this Piggott could easily get the better of him. But that doesn’t help us with your problem – in the end, Milraud will look after his own interests, and your colleague will come second, whatever he’s promised us.’

Which would leave Dave at the mercy of the psychopath Piggott and his hit man Gonzales. No thanks, thought Liz. ‘I’m going to recommend we go ahead as planned. Can I use the communications on the base?’

Twenty minutes later, Binding’s reply proved noncommittal. He would need to consult Thames House. But Liz had copied her message to DG’s office and five minutes after this an answer came back. DG agrees with your recommendation. Please go ahead as planned and good luck.