Divide and conquer - Tom Clancy [103]
"I'm glad you followed him," Battat said. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to his own wound.
"I didn't," Odette said as she rose.
"I lost him. But then I thought he might come back to try to cover his tracks. And I knew which one of us he would recognize." Just then, a housekeeper in the lobby saw the body and screamed. Battat looked back.
She was pointing at them and shouting for help. Odette stepped around the corpse to help Battat to his feet.
"We've got to get out of here," she said urgently.
"Come on. My car isn't far-"
"Wait," Battat said. He bent over the Harpooner's body and began working on the straps of the backpack.
"Help me get this off. There may be evidence we can use to identify his partners."
"You just get on your feet," Odette said as she pulled out her knife.
"I'll do that." Battat pulled himself up, using the ledge under the phones while Odette cut the backpack free. Then, lending Battat her shoulder, Odette led the American down the hall. They were nearly at the door when someone yelled at them from behind.
"Stop!" a man yelled. Battat and Odette turned. An elderly hotel security officer was standing just beyond the phone bank. Odette let Battat lean against one of the shop windows while she pulled her badge from her back pocket. She held it toward the security officer.
"I'm Odette Kolker of Metropolitan Squad Three," she said.
"The man on the floor is a wanted terrorist. He started the fire in 310. Make sure the room is sealed off.
I'm taking my partner to the hospital to see that he gets proper care.
Then I'll be back." Odette did not wait for the man to answer or for other security personnel to arrive. She turned and helped Battat from the building. She did that well, Battat thought. Gave the man a mission, made him feel important, so he would not interfere with them.
The brisk, clear air and sharp sunshine helped give Battat yet another fresh start. This was the last one, though. He knew that for certain.
The American's legs were rubbery, and he was having trouble holding his head up. At least his neck was not bleeding badly. And the handkerchief was keeping most of that inside, where it belonged. Only after they had made their way through the parking lot to the rear of the hotel did it hit Battat. Odette had done it. She had not only saved his life but she had stopped the Harpooner. She had killed a terrorist who had eluded all of Europe's top security agencies. He was proud to have had a small hand in this. The only down side was that Odette probably would not be able to remain in Baku after this. It was going to be tough to explain this to her police superiors. And if the Harpooner had allies, they might come looking for her. It was probably a good time for Odette to assume another identity. Five minutes later, Battat was seated in the passenger's seat of Odette's car. They pulled from the curb and headed toward the American embassy. It would be a short ride, but there was something that could not wait. The Harpooner's backpack was in Battat's lap. There was a small padlock on the flap. He borrowed Odette's knife and cut the flap away. He looked inside. There were some documents as well as a Zed-4 phone. He had worked one of those when he was in Moscow. They were more compact and sophisticated than the American Tac-Sats. Battat removed the phone from the case. There was an alphanumeric keypad along with several other buttons. Above them was a liquid crystal display on top. He pushed the menu button to the right of the display. For the Harpooner's sake, the instructions were in English.
And for the first time since David Battat arrived in Baku, he did something he had missed. He smiled.
Washington, D.C.