Midnight In Madrid by Noel Hynd

Author:Noel Hynd [Hynd, Noel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller

FORTY-TWO

MADRID, SEPTEMBER 11, 11:00 A.M.

You really want me to see all this?” Alex asked.

Alex stood with Peter Chang in the subterranean vault of El Banco de Santander. The branch was one of the largest in the city, as well as the most secure. They stood in a private room where Peter opened a safety deposit box from the vault.

“I don’t mind that you see what’s in the box,” Chang said. “Look, we’re working together. I have to trust you and vice versa. Do you have your passport with you?”

“Of course.”

“I want to add your signature to this account,” he said. “That way, if you need to, you can get in and out of this box without me.”

He lifted an attaché case onto the desktop. He had carried it from the car. Using his thumbs, he clicked the locks and the latches popped up with sharp metallic snaps. Then Chang opened the case. There were papers neatly arranged in a file, a weapon in a special case, a breathtaking load of cash bundled together, and a small gift box with slick white wrapping paper and a red ribbon.

He hefted the money in his hands. “Money,” he said. “I love money.” He was all business.

“In its place,” she answered.

“There’s ten thousand euros here,” he said. He flicked his fingers over the neatly bound stacks of bank notes. “Half in fifties, half in twenties. There are a few tens. If you’re in Spain and get stranded, or I’m not here, or I’ve disappeared or had to go back to China, help yourself to a reasonable amount. I mean, if you need a good lunch or dinner, just come in and grab a hundred euros. That’s about what it costs, doesn’t it, these days?”

“Just about,” she said, going along with it.

She watched in mounting wonder. He moved the money, tied up in fat tactile packs, into the safety deposit box. He then opened the metal case. Within it was a small black handgun, a Chinese-made nine millimeter automatic.

“Nice, yes?” he asked.

“Very,” she said.

He handed it to her for her examination. She used a tissue to hold it so she wouldn’t leave fingerprints on it, a move that amused him. She recognized the gun as a Norinco M-77B, a variant of the Type 77 pistol issued to the Chinese military and police.

“I’m surprised that thing didn’t set off the metal detector at the door,” she said.

He smiled and tapped gently on the case.

“This is the newest thing,” he said, referring to the metal composition of the weapon’s case. “Cool, huh? It’s like a Stealth bomber. It stymies the metal detectors so anything in one of these boxes flies under the radar.”

“Incredible,” she said.

“I’m Chinese, hey. We’re technologically advanced. Haven’t you read all that stuff in the journals these days? The Economist? The Atlantic in your country? Nostradamus said the Chinese would rule the world, remember that? Well, you might live to see it. Why are you looking at me strangely?” he asked.

“I can’t decide whether you’re brilliant, just full of yourself, or both,” she said.

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