NO RULES APPLY: A RAMAZ DONADZE THRILLER by AJ LIDDLE

Author:AJ LIDDLE [LIDDLE, AJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NIELSEN
Published: 2023-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

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JAQELI PICKED UP AFTER a couple of rings. ‘Aren’t you meant to be resting?’ she asked.

‘I am, a phone call won’t kill me.’

‘How are you feeling, Ramaz?’

‘I’m okay. I told Tamuna I’ll go back to work tomorrow.’

‘What did she say?’

Tamuna was feeding Eka in her high chair. He looked at her and winked. ‘She didn’t argue too much, surprisingly.’

‘Well, don’t rush back if you’re not ready but it would be good if you do come in—there’s a lot going on.’

‘I know. Were you in the station when Meskhi came in?’

‘Yes. It’s hard to tell with him but I think he’s furious about what happened to you. He’s got everyone in the station terrified. Even me, and I’m completely innocent!’

Donadze laughed and felt an immediate stabbing pain in his chest. ‘I feel sorry for Soso,’ he said after the pain had subsided.

‘You shouldn’t. No one I’ve spoken to is holding it against him. They know what happened to you was wrong.’

‘How is he running his investigation?’

‘He reckons he knows who could have been involved. Rapava made allies—dinosaurs like himself—everywhere he worked. Soso knows who they are. He’s making a list and he’s going to interview them—it’ll just take one to crack and give up the others.’

‘That doesn’t look good for George then…’

‘Or his crew. Listen, Ramaz, I’m glad you called. I’m just back from Kazbegi Avenue.’

‘Okay…’

‘I would have run this by you first but I didn’t think I should bother you while you’re recuperating.’

‘That’s okay. What was it?’

‘I decided to speak to Koba Brachuli again. I visited the bank and told him I was there to give him an update. But I really wanted to test him on a couple of points, given that we think there’s something going on at his branch.’

‘That sounds like a good move. And probably better that I wasn’t there, he might have felt we were harassing him otherwise.’ He paused. ‘So what points did you test him on?’

‘Well, I asked him how Zaal was coping and if going to London was still an option. It still seems strange to me that he’d send his son away.’

‘And to me. Is it still an option?’

‘It’s none of my business, apparently.’

‘Exactly what he told me when I asked. What else?’

‘I asked about his stand in—Berishvili. I tried to keep it light; asked if he was happy that the bank had been run properly during his absence. But I really wanted to check his reaction. If Nana Pachulia noticed Berishvili was involved in some kind of a clean-up then Brachuli should have noticed as well. And if he did—why was he going along with it?’

‘Let me guess; no issues whatsoever?’

‘Pretty much. He said Berishvili is an experienced manager who routinely covers his and other branches. Everything was how it should be.’

‘Was Nana Pachulia there?’

‘Yes, behind her desk keeping her head down. I didn’t speak to her.’

‘Good. Did Brachuli ask where I was?’

‘He did and I told him the truth. He made the right noises but didn’t seem surprised—I think he already knew.

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