Contents ( 84)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
‘He was testing the waters.’ Dempsey’s mind was racing. ‘He’d got wind of something. Enough for his men to ask Quilty for the specifics. There must have been some mention of Shah in Quilty’s file that led them here when Quilty wouldn’t say anything, to see what he could tell them. But that was all. He . . . he didn’t have any facts.’
‘You mean he got himself killed for nothing?’
‘It looks that way. Him and all those other poor people on the plane with him.’ Dempsey turned from Grace to Shah. ‘OK, you didn’t tell Victor’s men. Have you ever told anyone else?’
‘This information? I only ever passed it to one man, Mr Dempsey. To the one man I could trust. And to no one else.’
‘You mean Quilty.’
‘I do.’
‘And you know he died for what you told him, don’t you?’
‘I am aware.’ Shah looked to the floor as he acknowledged Quilty’s passing.
‘Then you also need to know this: I intend to find the men who caused Quilty’s death. The men behind this entire thing. I don’t care who they are. I don’t care if it’s the president of the United States himself. I am going to find them, and I am going to bring them to justice for what they’ve done. To do that, I could use your help. Will you help me? For Quilty?’
Shah did not blink as he looked up from the floor and met Dempsey’s gaze.
‘Then you have the same intention as me, Mr Dempsey. Quilty, he was my brother. As true as my own blood. But for him, but for what he did for me, I would have died many times. Just as he would have without me. A man does not forget that, Mr Dempsey. And a man does not forgive. So yes, I will help you. I will help you to avenge my brother.’
Dempsey said nothing in response. Just nodded his head. He could see that Shah had more to say.
‘And I will start that help by telling you this . . . The devil who did this? Who is behind all of this? It is not your president.’
SEVENTY-TWO
From the beginning of the meeting Grace had deferred to Dempsey. He’d proved himself effective and honest. She trusted him. And besides, of the two of them, this was his world, not hers.
But after Shah’s statement that President John Knowles was not behind Victor or Quilty’s deaths?
‘How do you know that?’
Grace asked the question instinctively, before Dempsey had the chance. It brought Shah’s full focus onto her for the first time since they’d entered the room.
‘You are Secret Service?’ Shah asked. A deduction from their earlier introduction.
‘I am. I work at the White House. And I’ve been telling Dempsey all along that the president didn’t do these things. Are you saying that I’m right?’
Shah looked from Dempsey to Grace, then back to Dempsey. He seemed unsure whether to respond to her interjection.