I vaulted into the room without making much noise. Whatever sound I did make was covered by the rain. I crouched there for a second and put the screwdriver back in my sleeve. The duct tape binding still had life in it. Then I pulled the window shut and turned the knob to lock it back into place. I got the MP5 up and selected for triple burst. If I was going to have to use it, I’d be going for a tight pattern in the upper chest area. There wasn’t much recoil, but the muzzle would be moving vertically upwards over the course of an eighth of a second, so the rounds would stitch a little crooked line.

The room with the pool table opened up towards the back of the house, to another sitting room where the chimney had been fired up a couple nights ago. From there I crept around towards the central staircase. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and listened. Nazari’s voice was coming from the other drawing room, the one with the dining table, where I’d found Gilles with his spilled silverware.

I could hear her speaking in low and smooth tones. Like a hostage negotiator. I figured she’d been reading up on those skills for her exam. She was telling someone that there was nobody else in the house, that she was Gilles Vaugeois’ live-in nurse. Then I heard a male voice, gruff and vulgar. He wasn’t buying her story.

“I know who you are, you’re the hot cop. We’ve got plans for you.”

“What do you mean?” I didn’t hear fear in her voice, it had gone cold.

“What I mean is, we’ve got plans for you. Your American boyfriend is dead. My buddy put two in his head about a minute ago, so he’s leaking out in the garden. We’ll make a spectacle of the rest, but not before we all take turns with you.”

Nazari’s voice went cold. “You’re going to die.”

The guy laughed. “Eventually yes, but I’ll die knowing you in all kinds of interesting ways. I’m planning on memorizing you.”

Nazari said nothing.

The conversation wasn’t going to get any better, so I figured I’d intervene at that point. Nazari wasn’t dead yet because of the mundane and revolting stupidity of this mercenary killer. But I was quite certain that he had her in a vulnerable position. Because if he didn’t, he’d be dead. Still, it was a tricky situation. Time to calm things down for a second or two. I put the MP5 on safety and lifted it up over my head. Then I stepped around into the drawing room, not too fast, not too slow.