A cheap hotel room, a miserable night, and the first poor cup of coffee I’ve had in this São Paulo:

A face stares out at me from the morning newspaper: a smiling boy, perhaps a school photograph, posted under a grim headline

Casualties are mounting in the aftermath of the explosion…

My eyes follow the text, but as I reach the end of the column, I realise I don’t know what it said…

Rodrigo… The hotel boy who served my breakfast each morning. So helpful to the nice cavalheiro inglês who sometimes tipped him, as much for the smile as for good service. He couldn’t have been more than fourteen.

And now dead because some vengeful little bitch missed her target.

I had to grow up quick at that age…

He never will…

Did she miss her target?

Or was it all part of some plan to implicate me?

Lawrence Klempner… Trafficker, murderer, and guilty of a thousand sins, now wanted for terrorism…

?

Who knows? I’m getting beyond guessing how much mayhem Juliana is willing to unleash in her crusade against me.

How did she find me?

She knows I’m here…

She knew where I was…

So… why take so long about showing her hand?

How did she find me?

And when?

As I entered the country?

Three weeks ago…

our Juliana likes

her a sense of

cat

maybe? Who recognised

It’s possible.

my face had flagged up any warning signals, ‘the system’ would have taken

Or trace me back to the bar after I took out their heavy.

Maybe they all do.

she put the word out on

That seems more likely.

I made a habit of going to the restaurant… hoping to spot my quarry… Instead, they spotted me. She knew I’d turn up at some

makes much

I think…

under the surface, I’m

Does it add up?

Really?

What’s missing?

she fit into a gang

Brazil…

‘Traditional’ values…

expect to find a woman

often do you ever find women

Find the man at the top and get control of him. That would tie in with what

Femme fatale…

Wonder who he is?

Poor bastard…

life-expectancy down

they all know who I am… If Juliana has them

replay of my visit to Juliana’s apartment. The coffee’s dreadful stuff, but at least the caffeine hit does its work. My mind is

How many were there?

an uncertain

to one side. But smiling, accusing eyes still stare out at me. After a moment, I turn the paper over,

What now?

Fade into the background?

Disappear?

How?

him to fit

fucking phone

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