Carte Blanche - Jeffery Deaver [40]
He’d half expected something a bit more personal than this rather casual greeting. But then he asked himself sternly, Why?
She had barely taken off her jacket before she’d caught the eye of the waiter, who greeted her with a smile. ‘Ophelia.’
‘Aaron. I’ll have a glass of the Mosel Riesling.’
‘On its way.’
Her wine arrived and Bond told Aaron they’d wait to order. Their glasses nodded at one another but did not clink.
‘First,’ Bond murmured, edging a little closer, ‘Hydt. Tell me about him.’
‘I checked with Specialist Operations at the Yard, Six, Interpol, NCIC and CIA in America and the AIVD in the Netherlands. I made some discreet enquiries at Five too.’ She’d obviously deduced the tension between Bond and Osborne-Smith. ‘No criminal records. No watchlists. More Tory than Labour but doesn’t have much interest in politics. Not a member of any church. Treats his people well – no labour unrest of any kind. No problems with the Inland Revenue or Health and Safety. He just seems to be a wealthy businessman. Very wealthy. All he’s ever done professionally is rubbish collection and recycling.’
The Rag-and-bone Man . . .
‘He’s fifty-six, never married. Both parents – they were Dutch – are dead now. His father had some money and travelled a lot on business. Hydt was born in Amsterdam, then came here with his mother to live when he was twelve. She had a breakdown so he grew up mostly under the care of the housekeeper, who’d accompanied them from Holland. Then his father lost most of his money and vanished from his son’s life. Because she wasn’t getting paid, the housekeeper called in Social Services and vanished – after eight years of looking after the boy.’ Philly shook her head in sympathy. ‘He was fourteen.’
Philly continued, ‘He started working as a dustman at fifteen. Then he’s off the radar until he’s in his twenties. He opened Green Way just as the recycling trend caught on.’
‘What happened? Did he inherit some money?’
‘No. It’s a bit of a mystery. He started penniless, as far as I can tell. When he was older he put himself through university. He read ancient history and archaeology.’
‘And Green Way?’
‘It handles general rubbish disposal, wheelie-bin collection, removal of construction waste at building sites, scrap metal, demolition, recycling, document shredding, dangerous-materials reclamation and disposal. According to the business press, it’s moving into a dozen other countries to start up rubbish tips and recycling centres.’ Philly displayed a printout of a company sales brochure.
Bond frowned at the logo. It looked like a green dagger, resting on its side.
‘It’s not a knife,’ Philly said, laughing. ‘I thought the same thing. It’s a leaf. Global warming, pollution and energy are the sexiest subjects in the au courant environmental movement. But rising quickly are planet-friendly rubbish disposal and recycling. And Green Way’s one of the big innovators.’
‘Any Serbian connection?’
‘Through a subsidiary he owns part of a small operation in Belgrade. But, like everybody else in the organisation, nobody there has any criminal past.’
‘I just can’t work out his game,’ Bond said. ‘He’s not political, has no terrorist leanings. It almost looks like he’s been hired to arrange the attack, or whatever it’s to be, on Friday. But he hardly needs money.’ He sipped his cocktail. ‘Right, then, Detective Inspector Maidenstone, tell me about the evidence – that other bit of ash from up in March. Six made out the “Gehenna plan” and “Friday, 20 May”. Did Forensics at the Yard find anything else?’
Her voice dropped, which necessitated his leaning closer. He smelt a sweet but undefined scent. Her sweater, cashmere, brushed the back of his hand. ‘They did. They think the rest of the words were “Course is confirmed. Blast radius must be a hundred feet minimum. Ten thirty is the optimal time.”’
‘So, an explosive device of some kind. Ten thirty Friday – p.m., according to the original intercept. And “Course” – a shipping route or plane most likely.’
‘Now,’ she continued, ‘the metal you found? It’s a