London Bridges - James Patterson [58]
Suddenly we heard his voice on the speakerphone. Heavily filtered. Familiar. Obscene.
“Sorry to keep everybody waiting,” he said, and although he didn’t laugh, there was nothing but derision in his tone. I wanted to scream at the bastard.
“But then, of course, I have been kept waiting, haven’t I? I know, I know, it’s because the precedent is unacceptable to all the governments, the loss of face. I understand. I get it.
“And now, I need you to understand something, too. This deadline is the final one. I will even make a concession. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and try to find me. Bring your investigations out into the open. Catch me if you can.
“But know this, and know it well, you bastards. This time, the money must be paid on time. All of it. The prisoners of war must be released. All of them. The deadline will not be extended, and believe me, it is a deadline. If you miss it, even by minutes, there will be tens of thousands of murders in each of the four cities. You heard me right—I said murders. Believe me, I will push the button. I will kill in a way the world has rarely seen. Especially in Paris. Au revoir, mes amis.”
Chapter 76
LATER THAT NIGHT Etienne Marteau and I thought we might have stumbled onto something useful and maybe even important. At that point every clue was being looked at as vital.
The French National Police had intercepted several messages dialed on the phone of a known arms dealer working out of Marseilles. The dealer specialized in hardware from the Red Army, contraband that was floating all over Europe, especially in Germany, France, and Italy. In the past, he’d sold contraband to radical Islamic groups.
Marteau and I read and re-read the transcript of a phone conversation between the arms dealer and a suspected terrorist with ties to al Qaeda. The conversation was coded, but the French police had broken most of it down:
ARMS DEALER: Cousin, how is your business these days? [Are you ready to do the job?] Are you coming to see me soon? [Can you travel?]
TERRORIST: Oh, you know, I have a wife and too many children. These things are sometimes complicated. [He has a large team.]
ARMS DEALER: For God’s sake, I have told you before—bring your woman and the children with you. You should come right now. [Bring your whole team now.]
TERRORIST: We are all very tired. [We are being watched.]
ARMS DEALER: Everyone is tired. But you will love it here. [It’s safe for you.] I guarantee it.
TERRORIST: All right, then. I will start loading up my family.
ARMS DEALER: I have my stamp collection ready for you. [Probably special tactical weapons.]
“What does he mean, ‘my stamp collection’?” I asked. “That’s a key phrase, isn’t it?”
“They’re not sure, Alex. They believe it’s weapons. What kind—who knows for certain? Something serious.”
“Will they stop the terrorist team now? Or let them into France and watch them?”
“I think the plan is to let them come in and hope they lead us to others. Higher-ups. Everything is moving quickly and very loosey-goosey now.”
“Maybe a little too loosey-goosey,” I said.
“We do things differently. Please try to respect that, to understand it if you can.”
I nodded. “Etienne, I don’t think there will be any contact with higher-ups on the ground here. That isn’t how the Wolf works. Every player has a part to play, but no clue about the larger plan.”
The detective looked me in the eye. “I’ll pass that on,” he said.
But I doubted very much that he would. An idea struck me, and it was hard to handle. I am all alone over here, aren’t I? I am the Ugly American.
Chapter 77
I FINALLY WENT BACK to the Relais at two in the morning. I was up again at 6:30. No rest for the righteous, or the ridiculous. But the Wolf didn’t want us rested, did he? He wanted us stressed and afraid and capable of making mistakes.