A shadow falls, p.37
A Shadow Falls, page 37
part #2 of Jenny Aaron Series
The man sounds relaxed.
‘A patient transport.’
‘Who is the patient?’
‘A Canadian citizen. She is accompanied by her young son and two medical attendants.’
‘What are the names of these attendants?’
‘Malin and Erik Jøndal, Norwegian nationals.’
‘Where are they? I don’t see them anywhere.’
‘And I see that you’re not from customs.’
‘We want to inspect your passengers.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we have reason to believe that these persons are wanted by the police. If this turns out to be the case, we’ll take them into custody.’
‘You’ll do no such thing,’ Demirci replies stridently. ‘And in any case, no customs formalities are required.’
He almost sounds amused. ‘Is that so?’
‘Yes. It would greatly displease your Interior Minister. I assume you know the voice of your employer?’
Aaron holds her breath.
‘She’s getting out her phone,’ Pavlik whispers.
‘Good morning, Minister. I’m standing here with eight of your officers. If you’ll permit, I shall pass the phone over.’
The policeman talks in Arabic. He is interrupted after just a few words. There are a few seconds of silence. Then his tone suggests that he is standing at attention.
Demirci says: ‘I think that’s cleared that up. You will leave us alone now. Have a nice day.’
‘You don’t give me any orders.’
‘Do I need to trouble the Minister again?’
The men deliberate in Arabic.
Car doors are slammed.
‘Honestly,’ Pavlik comments, ‘that woman could beat Lissek in a pissing contest.’
‘How long will it take you?’ Demirci asks.
Pavlik switches his microphone back on. ‘Five minutes.’
He walks over to Aaron and takes her by the arm. She feels her way down the stairs and gets in the car with him.
He drives off.
‘Are we going to fly to Germany now?’ Luca asks.
Aaron turns round to him and smiles. ‘Yes.’
She feels Layla’s shaky hand on her shoulder.
‘Thank you.’
32
The last traces of adrenalin only drain away when they are up in the air. Aaron is sitting with Demirci and Pavlik in the separate cabin at the rear. At the front, Layla is being cared for by the doctor and the nurse. Fricke is distracting Luca.
As soon as they came aboard, he took him aside and said: ‘What do you reckon, shall we see if we can go in the cockpit? Perhaps the pilot will even let you have a go on the control stick.’
Aaron wishes she could have seen Luca’s face. ‘Really?’
‘Of course. Between you and me, mate, he looks pretty tired. We’d better go and check on him.’
It is things like this that make her so fond of Fricke.
He surreptitiously slipped her the epilepsy drug and murmured: ‘Best not read the information leaflet.’
Demirci is a silhouette in the seat opposite. Her outlines dissolve at the edges like white smoke.
‘How did you wangle that?’ Pavlik asks.
‘As you’ll remember, the BKA helped the Moroccans eliminate an ISIS cell. Well, the terrorists had been planning an attack on the king. In Agadir, where he was inaugurating a school. The Royal Palace was very grateful to Wiesbaden.’
Pavlik is surprised. ‘And Palmer shares that kind of information with you?’
‘He phoned the Moroccan Interior Minister.’
‘Do I need to start liking him?’
‘Sometimes it’s love at second sight.’
‘Don’t go doing anything foolish.’
‘Not as long as you’re keeping an eye on me.’ Demirci turns to Aaron. ‘I need to tell you something concerning your father.’
‘Yes?’ she immediately asks.
‘On the outward flight I got a chance to read the dossier that the GSG 9 sent over on my request. It contains a list of the operations your father was involved in during the years leading up to his death.’
Aaron’s palms feel sweaty.
‘Holm left you a final message. Lubichowo. The village isn’t in Russia, it’s in Poland, south of Gdansk. The leader of an arms smuggling ring lived there. His villa was a fortress, guarded by a dozen men. The Federal Police found out about it. They tipped off their Polish colleagues, who in turn asked for strategic assistance. The decision was made to send the GSG 9.’
‘Was my father among them?’
‘Yes.’
‘When exactly was that?’
‘A month before you lost your sight.’
‘Was anyone killed?’
‘Four. The leader, his wife and two of his men.’
‘Do you have any further information about this Pole?’
‘No, the dossier only contains the key data. But his wife came from Ireland. Like Leon Keyes.’
‘She could have been his lover,’ Pavlik mutters.
Aaron shakes her head. ‘Keyes wouldn’t share a woman with another man. Perhaps she was his sister. Or a close friend. In any case, it was something personal.’
They lapse into silence.
Aaron had thought that the knowledge of why her father had to die would trigger something inside her.
No.
There’s nothing that can make sense of his death.
Someone knocks on the cabin door. ‘Yes, come in,’ says Demirci.
A stranger’s voice. ‘She’s dehydrated. We’re giving her infusions and morphine, that’s all we can do for the moment.’
‘How advanced is the cancer?’
‘I’m not a specialist.’
‘Will we need an ambulance in Munich?’ Demirci wants to know.
‘She has to stay lying down.’
‘We have an armoured transporter waiting. I would feel a lot happier if we could use that.’
‘We could slide a stretcher into it.’
‘Good.’
The doctor withdraws.
‘Where are you taking her?’ Aaron asks.
‘There’s a clinic in Murnau with an oncology department. We’ve already informed them.’
‘Why not Munich? The Rechts der Isar Hospital.’
‘That’s an enormous institution in the middle of the city; it would be a nightmare to protect her there. From Murnau it’s only thirty kilometres to the hill farm. If we’re lucky the doctors will allow us to take her there. If not, a Special Enforcement Commando of the police will take care of the clinic. The kindest thing would be to leave the boy with his mother. But it would make everything much more difficult. The safe house is the best solution for the child and for you.’
‘You want to incarcerate me?’
‘I want to save your life. Don’t tell me that you don’t know the difference.’
‘Aaron, she’s right,’ Pavlik placates her. ‘Keyes can’t get to you up there. Six men are enough for the hill farm.’
‘Eight. Nieser, Peschel and Mertsch are in Munich. They will reinforce the team,’ says Demirci.
‘My arithmetic makes that nine, including me,’ Pavlik corrects her.
‘You can forget that. Please go to the front now and have your wound looked at properly. You’re going to come to Berlin and have fourteen days off.’
‘That’s not necessary. I’m fit.’
‘No, you’re not. End of discussion.’
The temperature in the cabin suddenly drops to below freezing. Pavlik lays his hand on Aaron’s. They both know that Demirci wants to separate them so that she can have better control over Aaron.
‘Have you spoken to Lissek, Ms Aaron?’
‘Why?’
‘Let me guess what he said. Don’t give the bastard a chance? Wipe him out? Finish him off? Have you asked yourself why? I’ll help you out: because Lissek knows you. He thinks it would be pointless to try to dissuade you. You’re unconditional in your determination, more so than anyone I’ve ever come across. That’s what makes you unique. It’s your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. I understand that you hate Keyes. Just to be clear: I’m not denying you your revenge on moral grounds. On the contrary. It would be your right, and even leaving aside the death of your father, this man deserves to die a thousand times over. But I won’t allow you to destroy your life and Ulf Pavlik’s on top. He’s your friend. You owe him a lot. Do the right thing. I would be very disappointed in you if you didn’t.’
Aaron has no doubt that Pavlik is prepared to quit, to sacrifice everything for her. But she pre-empts him. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else with me in Morocco. But now it’s good. Go home. I’ll interrogate Layla; if she knows more, she’ll tell me. Keyes isn’t going to give us the slip. Sometimes one has to be patient. One day I’ll be sitting in a courtroom and hear the verdict. Death isn’t always the worst punishment. I speak from experience.’
Silence.
Does Demirci believe me?
Nothing more is said.
33
They must be over France by now. Avignon might be right below them. The city of retribution, the city of fear, the city of failure. Aaron is so tired. She plunges into sleep as if into unconsciousness.
In the blackness she hears a gentle squeaking. When she opens her eyes she sees an empty cradle. It is hot. She is in a desert. The ground is rocking. Aaron lifts her head and senses an enormous face far above her. Suddenly she knows that she is tiny and is standing on the outstretched palm of the devil.
‘Look,’ the devil whispers.
She stares at the horizon. A man materializes out of nothing. He walks towards her, emerging from the glowing heat as if he was stepping out of a mirror.
It’s Leon Keyes.
The devil lowers his hand and lets him join Aaron.
‘What a beautiful boy,’ says her father’s killer.
She becomes aware that Luca is sleeping in the cradle. He is lightly covered by a child’s drawing, a ship with three funnels. His freckles are made of gold dust.
Keyes gives a sad smile. ‘I once glimpsed a life that I would never have. In Varga’s garden, when you came up with that story about the sun visor and rested your head against my shoulder. You said: “That was the most romantic thing that any man has ever done for me.” In that moment I imagined that we could be together. In a place where I was a different person and you were different too. I imagined us perhaps having a little boy like that. It was very tempting. When we stood in front of the Lucas Cranach, I immediately knew that I wanted the painting. But I wanted you no less. How often in these past ten years have you thought of me, of Leon Keyes, the man with the cool lips?’
‘That’s not your real name. Holm used it as a clue because he read in my diary that I knew you under that name.’
‘Oh, names. I can call myself whatever I want, but I’m always the same.’
They step out of the paining and contemplate its perfect beauty.
‘I looked at the copy in the Vatican,’ he says. ‘It was incredible to know where the original is hanging.’
‘In a cellar or a bunker?’ she scoffs. ‘Who can you share it with? What a miserable life.’
‘You’re mistaken. I enjoy sharing things.’
The painting grows hazy. They are sitting in a garden, alone, drinking wine and mineral water from crystal glasses.
‘Do you believe in destiny?’ he asks. ‘Of course you do. I don’t. Yet it’s curious that our paths have crossed here. Last year, Ilja Nikulin stole two billion dollars from me, and ten years from now you’ll fly to Marrakech, to steal them from me again.’
‘I don’t care about the money. But how would someone as corrupt as you be able to understand that? Someone who has sent thousands of people to their death. For profit.’
‘You would be surprised to know how well I sleep. Besides, I share Racine’s view: “Without money honour is merely a disease.”’ He picks up her shoes. ‘Varga and I didn’t talk about shoes. You wore these just for me; you should never wear any others.’
The house flickers like a translucent hologram. Her gaze passes through it. Behind the Circus Maximus, the Palatine glows in the evening light as if coated in red Japanese lacquer.
‘It must be very enjoyable for you to see in your dreams,’ he says. ‘What’s it like when you wake up? Does it feel like you can hardly wait to go back to sleep again?’
‘I’m particularly enjoying this one. Looking into your eyes once more, knowing what a miserable death you’ll die. If it’s any consolation, you’ll be the richest man in the cemetery.’
A rainbow stretches out over the garden and ends on Aaron’s shoulder. It is made up of countless dragonflies. She is startled and tries to chase them away. But they won’t leave off.
Keyes sips on his wine, completely relaxed. ‘Your father tagged you. I can find you anywhere.’
Aaron hears a rustling. Luca is sitting in the grass. He is making a paper hat, completely absorbed in his task.
‘Didn’t I choose a lovely name?’ Keyes asks.
Fear takes hold of Aaron’s every fibre.
‘He’s the spitting image of his father, apart from the black hair. Berg was incredibly proud of him, he was always showing me photos. It sometimes made me think of you and me.’
‘Have you been to Marrakech?’ she asks.
‘Of course. I was there until yesterday, but you stood me up.’
‘And before? Did you ever meet Layla?’
‘No. Berg didn’t want that. He was afraid to show her his world. Perhaps he was also afraid of me. She’s a beautiful woman. I might have liked her.’
‘Layla wouldn’t have been unfaithful to him.’
Music is playing in the house.
‘Something in your smile was so exciting.
‘Something in my heart told me I must have you.’
Keyes runs a finger along the edge of the wine glass and produces a high singing tone. ‘Berg was very efficient, utterly dedicated to his work. He was perhaps the only person I ever trusted. But if I had wanted to take Layla for myself, I would have wiped him out with my little finger.’
‘Well, you did. With the ice pick, in the souks.’
‘There’s no such thing as limitless trust.’
Aaron lights a cigarette. She is sitting in the James Dean Porsche with Keyes and christens the ashtray.
He smiles nonchalantly. ‘That was always missing.’
They are driving through the night. Keyes only has one hand on the wheel, as if he was just out for a jaunt. Someone has sprayed onto a wall: Desire is a dark house, uninhabited from the beginning.
He notices her staring at his Oxford signet ring. ‘Pretty, isn’t it? It isn’t real.’
‘How carefree you are,’ she says. ‘Yet when I kill you it will be quick as a flash.’
‘Who are you trying to kid? You hate me so much that you’ll want to make me suffer. How many lethal moves have you mastered? How cruelly could you let me die?’
‘You can’t even begin to imagine.’
‘Didn’t you vow to your master that you would only use those techniques for self-defence?’
‘For you I’ll break my oath.’
‘Perhaps you’re also toying with the idea of gouging my eyes out to blind me. Wouldn’t that be a compelling punishment? You know all about everlasting darkness.’
‘You talk in the same contrived manner as Holm did,’ she says dismissively.
‘Are you surprised? You haven’t decided yet who you hate the most: the man who blinded you, or the one who had your father killed. It’s your dream. I’m exactly what you make me.’
‘And how much do you hate me?’ she asks.
‘It’s not like that for me. On the contrary. The two billion did hurt back then. I had to start from scratch again. Varga’s safe was my start-up capital. It could have gone wrong. It all depended on the right number combination. You were impressive. It was damned clever of you to use the dates of St Anthony. That’s what I love about gambling: there’s always at least one unknown. That was you. You got me back into business.’
They are driving across the Ponte Sant’Angelo, towards the castle. It is dark, Aaron can barely see it. She hears an operatic aria she doesn’t know.
They’re in the hotel, walking to the lift. Drums are beating. A fortune teller is laying cards in the lobby. She looks up and considers Aaron with a sad look.
In the lift, Keyes smells so strongly of pine resin that she feels sick. ‘Don’t you like me?’ he asks. ‘Do you know what Dalí did before his first date with Gala? He rubbed a mixture of lavender, fish glue and goat droppings into his armpits and stunk like a billy goat. Gala embraced him and said: “My darling boy, we will never be apart again.”’ His glacier-grey eyes are playing with her. ‘You were so happy. Clutching the bag with the phone close to you. Angels were dancing in your eyes. I was almost sorry to have to take it from you.’
Will I get my life back?
Only now does she understand what he had meant by that.
He brushes a stubborn strand of hair off his forehead. ‘When we kissed – that was wonderful, wasn’t it? And yet it was a lie. Only when we’re in pain do we show what we’re truly made of.’
The lift door opens and they step out into the hotel corridor.
Two-Holster and Green-Jacket are frozen in motion. Droplets of spit float in front of their wide-open mouths, bullets sit motionless in mid-air. Keyes takes one of the projectiles between his fingers, then lets it drop.
He opens the door to the stairwell. Below she sees Dog-Collar and White-Brow, a still life of icy precision. Their bullets are rotating, dabbing glittery dots of light onto the walls. Aaron and Keyes walk through this cabinet of curiosities.
‘How perfectly you acted out your terror,’ she says.
‘Thank you. Beside you, it was easy.’
She looks up. Two-Holster is poised by the banister. Muzzle flash protrudes from the barrel of his Ruger like cooled lava.
‘One of the best,’ says Keyes regretfully. ‘Not as good as Vesper of course. And Vesper wasn’t half as good as you. There’s always someone who is faster, harder, better. Even for you.’
They’re in the basement passageway. A foam-covered body lies on the ground. Sinatra sings. The splinters of the fire extinguisher buzz through Aaron.
