Richard

My intercom buzzes.

“Yes, Francis?”

“Mr Haswell, I have the police commissioner on for you.”

“Put him through, please…” The phone clicks… “Richard?”

“Will, good to hear from you. What can I do for you? Do you have any news?”

“I do, Richard, yes. But it’s not good news I’m afraid.”

Damn…

“Go on.”

“I’ve emailed you a report from the authorities in Brazil. Briefly, there was an explosion in a hotel room in São Paulo; a booby-trapped lavatory would you believe. It took out several rooms and there were a lot of casualties. Two bodies were taken from the room. One was a member of the hotel staff. The other was a guest. The passport identifies him as one Harry Hughes: English. But take a look at the photograph and tell me what you think.”

My mouth sours…

Christ…

If it is…

“Can you hold, Will, while I pull up the email.”

“No problem. Take your time.”

Tap… Tap… Tap… Click…

Password…

Scroll…

Click…

Crap!

I breathe in. Let out air.

“Yes, that’s him. He’s clever with the hair and the glasses. It’s quite subtle and you wouldn’t see it on a casual glance, but that’s him…”

“Richard?”

I

… Or Charlotte?

“Richard? Are you alright?”

Klempner was in the past… But the courage he’s shown… The way he behaved when Charlotte was abducted… And when he knew there was a threat to Mitch. And James. There was a real human

What a waste…

like me to call by and tell

Or I’ll tell James and Michael, and get one of them to break

can do, you know where to

“Thanks, Will.”

*****

office next door

“James?”

bridge of his nose, eyes squeezing. “I feel terrible. This is

don’t know that for

sure. I gave Juliana the wedge to crack his defences. It’s almost certainly

tell her. At least for a while. After

this be worse? At least it’s closure and she knows what she’s dealing with. She’ll have all

her back into the house? So we can all keep a closer eye

chews at a thumbnail. “That might make her feel we’re spying on her. But we could make up her old room again, so it’s there

I’ve already asked Francis to cancel appointments for both of

tugs his jacket straight. “You’re right. Time to face the

*****

Klempner

grunting, I raise a hand to shield my eyes for a few seconds. By the time I’m blinking back to normality, the click-click

and as usual, colour-co-ordinated

very Latin. The dress fits too tightly and the lipstick is too bright for her. Although that might

you

fashion statement.” Her voice

my weight from

Latin thing today. The wig is black; much too dark for her complexion. Not that her complexion is visible, with her face plastered under a brown sludge that would be flattering on some young woman of genuine Latino descent, but which simply looks

at me. On auto-pilot, I catch the miserable thing

Lunch?

paper packet from her lunch box, unwrapping some fragrant dainty, then appears to realise I’ve not moved. She nods down to the potato. “Go on. Eat it. It’s fine.

Still, I don’t move.

and behave yourself, I’ll give you another

from the potato, chewing slowly to convince my stomach it’s getting a

“Enjoying that?” she says.

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