The accident man by Tom Cain

Author:Tom Cain [Tom Cain]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Histoire
ISBN: 9780670018499
Published: 2008-02-15T08:30:29+00:00

42

Deep inside the futuristic, postmodernist ziggurat on the south bank of the river Thames that had been the headquarters of MI6 since 1995—and which its more cynical inhabitants, unimpressed by the building’s expense, vulgarity, and sore-thumb prominence, had dubbed “Ceauşescu Towers”—Bill Selsey was sitting by a telephone receiver, waiting for a call. Beside him were other secret service officers wearing headsets, operating digital audio recorders, and monitoring the connection between their lines and the tracking equipment at GCHQ. Jack Grantham was sitting at the same table as Selsey, ready to listen in on whatever Pierre Papin had to say.

The phone rang. Selsey paused for the technicians’ thumbs-up, then picked up the receiver.

Papin was all apologies. “I am so sorry, Bill, but I already have a buyer for my information. We are meeting at five p.m.”

“Well, I’m sorry too, Pierre. Maybe we could have done some business.”

“Maybe we still can.”

“How would that be?”

“You could buy my buyer.”

Selsey rolled his eyes across the table at Jack Grantham. What was the Frenchman playing at now?

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Simply that I can now provide you with a complete package: the people who killed your princess and the people who hired them.”

Selsey couldn’t help it. He laughed out loud. “So you shaft the people you’ve just done a deal with and sell them out to us?”

“Exactly.”

“Bloody hell, Pierre, you’ve got a nerve! Presumably you’d like to be paid by us too.”

“But of course. The price is the same: five hundred thousand U.S.”

“Yeah, well, there’s just one problem. We don’t have that kind of money lying around. You know how it is, endless bloody budget cuts, every penny has to be justified in triplicate. Probably the same with your lot, right?”

“Yes, it’s true. We cannot afford to be extravagant. But this is not extravagance. This is a small outlay for a huge return.”

Across the room a signals tech gestured at Selsey to keep talking. He mouthed the words “almost got it.” Selsey nodded. He kept talking.

“I agree. If we did get that entire crew, it would be good. But to be honest, that’s what concerns me. You’re planning to deceive a group of known killers. I’m not sure you want to be doing that. In fact, I’d say we’re the only people you can trust. We’re pros, like you. We’re not in the business of harming our allies’ agents. So why don’t you come in with us? We’ll keep an eye on things, cover your back. I mean, even if your clients don’t discover you’re about to rat them out, they may decide they don’t want to pay your money after all. They may try to get it back . . . over your dead body.”

“But it would be of no use to them. That is why I demanded endorsed bearer bonds. They can only be cashed by me. No, Bill, your offer is very kind, but I’m sure I can look after myself. And also I would be safer without you. If I do not sell my clients to you, they have no need to harm me.

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