The Killing Ground

“And what happens to him?” Greta asked.

“Across the water, Spain is convenient. Who knows?”

“One thing is certain,” she said. “He can’t be coming to England, not with his face plastered all over the place.”

“Well, he isn’t going to stay in Algeria, there wouldn’t be any point. As for France, that’s a possibility.”

“Actually, some of the papers on the Continent picked up the picture, too,” Roper said. He tapped some keys and page four of the previous day’s Paris Soir appeared, with Hussein’s photo. “There you are, page four, but it’s enough.”

“So what’s his next move?” Dillon asked.

“I think he’ll keep his head down,” Greta said.

“No,” Dillon said. “There is one thing I’m sure of. Hiring the Citation, flaunting it with the trip to Algeria, it has to have reason to it. He has a purpose, and sooner or later it’s bound to become clear what that purpose is. We’ll just have to wait.”

AT THE HAMPSHIRE HOUSE, Molly and Caspar, in the kitchen, discussed Sara. They could see Sara in the garden on a bench on the terrace, reading a book.

“She’s pretending,” Caspar said. “You can tell.”

“Have you discussed school again with her?” Molly asked.

“For God’s sake, it’s far too soon for that. She’d need a new school anyway, fresh faces, another environment, perhaps a boarding school.”

“Whatever it is, it’s got to be faced, this situation.” Molly reached for the coffeepot and poured another cup. “And appropriate treatment found.”

“You’re talking about her as if she’s a patient,” Caspar said, “but that’s what doctors do, I suppose. Personally, I think we need to make a firm decision.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Tell her we’ve decided she needn’t go back to her old school and needn’t go back to any school for six months. Let her vegetate, find her own feet.”

Beyond his wife through the window, he saw that Sara had gone from the bench. She was, in fact, in the hall, but he didn’t know that.

Molly said, “I don’t think that’s any good at all. To be frank with you, I had a long chat on the phone this morning with Professor Janet Hard-castle. She was very interested in the case and has offered to take her on.”

In spite of the fact that the lady in question was one of the most eminent psychiatrists in the country, Caspar was not impressed.

“Dammit, Molly, psychiatrists now. What about some simple loving kindness? We should stop trying to understand until she understands herself, because she is capable of that. She’s a hugely intelligent girl.”

Sara appeared at the door. “Oh, that’s all right. I don’t mind playing word games with Professor Hardcastle, but I’m still not going back to school. I feel like a rest now. I’ll go to my room.”

She put the book she had been reading on the side and went out. Caspar picked it up, glanced at his wife and held it out to her without a word. It was the Koran in Arabic.

ROPER HAD ENJOYED his chat with Igor Levin, the former boy wonder of the GRU, for Levin also had medals from all those dubious Kremlin wars, had sweated in Afghanistan, had got close enough to a Chechen general to cut his throat. Roper remembered him as a so-called commercial attaché working for GRU head of station Colonel Boris Lhuzkov in London, so now, on a whim, he contacted Lhuzkov on his private number at the Embassy of the Russian Federation situated in Kensington Gardens.

Lhuzkov answered at once in Russian, and Roper, who actually spoke rather decent Russian, said in English, “Cut that out, Boris.”

“Who is it?” Boris asked.

“Roper.”

“My God-to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Nothing special. I was just talking to Igor Levin in Dublin and that put me in mind of you.”

As every attempt made by Lhuzkov to contact Levin had been rebuffed, he was intrigued. “How is Igor?”

“Just enjoying life. As for his pals, Chomsky works for lawyers and Popov is with a security firm. But then you know this.”

“Do I?”

“The thing is, I’d have thought that futile attempt to knock off Blake Johnson would have taught you Russians a lesson. So what was all this nonsense with Stransky and his goons at Harry’s Place? And Chekov? I’m shocked. Have they succeeded in saving the leg, by the way?”

“My dear Giles, I have no comment at this time.”

“I bet you haven’t, and what’s with Giles? How did you discover that? It’s a closely guarded secret.”

“Like any good spy, I have my sources. May I also make a comment? There are people who think that Boris Lhuzkov is a stumblebum-an old buffer long past his best, if there ever was a best. But Ivan Stransky has a brain the size of a pea, and as for Chekov, his brain is between his legs. To anyone with half a brain, the size of Harry Salter’s property empire and bank balance should have given pause for thought all by themselves.”

“I for one never fell for your act, Boris. Anyway, is there going to be a new chief executive officer at Belov International? Because the one you’ve got now can’t do much more than go over to Drumore Place and sit on the terrace in a wheelchair, an umbrella over his head. Mind you, he’d be all right for the weekends. It only rains five days a week in Ireland.”

Lhuzkov finally managed to stop laughing. “God, but you’ve cheered me up.”

“So who’s going to run the show? You can tell me.”

“Of course. They’ve managed to save Chekov’s leg, but real recovery will take a very long time. I might as well tell you, because you’ll find out anyway. General Volkov will assume command for the moment.”

“Surprise, surprise, the President’s right-hand man.”

“Exactly. Anything else?”

“Yes-for Volkov’s ears, and perhaps for his friend the Broker.”

Lhuzkov’s voice changed slightly to careful. “Yes?”

“You’ve seen the press releases in the newspapers on Hussein Rashid?”

“I could hardly miss them.”

“How about the full story on the other Rashid-the English wife, the thirteen-year-old daughter kidnapped by Army of God fanatics for the grandfather in Iraq? It’s Hussein who’s supposed to marry her when she comes of age.”

“I’ve heard certain whispers.”

“Well, Hussein took the girl down to Hazar, and Dillon and Billy and the child’s father swooped down and stole her from right under his nose and flew off to good old Blighty, leaving two of his best men dead.”

“Oh, dear. Let me put my supposedly stupid mind to this. These photos in the newspapers? They are supposed to keep him out of Britain?”

“Something like that, just for the moment and to make the family feel secure.”

“I’m not so sure it will work.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s the Hammer of God. He won’t want to let his audience down.”

“That’s what I think, too,” Roper said.

“Do you mind if I share all this with Volkov?”

“That’s why I told you.”At that moment, Greta came in. “Greta sends her best. She’s thriving.”

“My God, how I miss that girl. Such a beauty.”

Roper switched off and Greta said, “Who was that?”

“Lhuzkov.” Roper smiled. “I was feeling lonely.”

THE CITATION CROSSED Saudi Arabia, Egypt, then northern Libya, following the coast at enormous speed and most of the time at fifty thousand feet. Selim invited Hussein to take the controls when they were over Libya, and, changing his mind, Hussein did for a while, reveling in it.

Later, much later as they approached their destination, Selim came back to consult him. “I’m worried about fuel. Oran is only a couple of hundred miles away from Khufra. I think we should stop and refuel there.”