The Mayan Codex

11

‘Sabir was warned, Madame. I’m certain of it. The American knew we were coming. He was hiding outside the house with a shotgun. When we switched on the lights, thinking he was no longer there, he knew exactly where to find us.’

‘You think Lamia warned him? Through Calque?’

‘I’m convinced of it.’

‘Why didn’t he involve the police, then?’

‘He was scared to, Madame. We had entered his house through an open door – he slipped up on that one. Given that fact, and the existing relationship between our two families, he would have been hard put to accuse us of robbery. I think we can call this first round something of a stalemate.’

‘What are you going to do now, Abiger?’

‘We’ve flushed him out, Madame. He will go on the run now. We must follow him.’

‘Have you tagged his car?’

‘Impossible, Madame. He has it sealed up tight. And the garage is alarmed. When he leaves, he will leave fast.’

‘And Lamia?’

‘She is here with the policeman. They are all three sitting in the public rooms of the White Horse Inn. We can’t even get close.’

‘Will you be able to follow him?’

‘Of course, Madame.’

‘Abiger, you are talking arrant nonsense. Two men cannot follow a man twenty-four hours by twenty-four. It’s an impossibility. And once you’ve lost him, he is lost for good. I am sending your brothers and sisters over to help you.’

‘But, Madame ‘Be quiet, Abiger. I want to know exactly what he does, and why he is doing it. It’s not enough simply to deal with him any more in the way we discussed previously. There’s more involved. We’ve got Calque to deal with too. So all eleven of you will conduct a full surveillance on the three of them – if they split up, all well and good. If they stay together, even better. I want to know everything they do – everywhere they go. And I shall decide when it is the right moment for you to strike, Abiger, not you. Have I made myself clear?’

There was a brief hesitation.

‘Have I made myself clear, Abiger?’

‘Yes, Madame. But I’m still running this operation, aren’t I? I’m still in charge?’

‘Until I decide otherwise. Yes, Abiger. You are.’