There was something that Nazari and Bonnet had missed. Something important. I understood why they hadn’t noticed it, because they were municipal cops and it was probably the first time they’d seen a violent death. The eye just goes to the wound and misses anything else.

Qayoumi had been knifed in the heart. The blade had made a neat hole in his blue shirt, just below a nautical logo. Like a ship’s wheel. It was the same brand designer shirt as I had been wearing and the same sky blue color.

Which meant two things. First, that they had mistaken me for this guy, Gulam Qayoumi. But they had realized their mistake and found him, and then killed him. Second, they hadn’t known what he looked like, just that he would be wearing a specific shirt. I remembered the way rat-face had looked at me below the eye line. He’d recognized the shirt first, then looked at my face.

I handed back the phone to Nazari. Bonnet was looking at me in the rear view.

Chapter Nine

Nazari climbed out of the car after me. “I’ll make sure you get on your train.”

I almost protested, but changed my mind. “Sure.”

She bent down to speak with Bonnet through the driver’s side window. He said, “Where are you headed?”

“Parts unknown. I’ll see when I get to the ticket office.”

“Well don’t forget to send us a postcard.”

He drove off. Nazari stood up. She looked great. The blue uniform hugged her body. She rested a hand on the holstered Sig-Pro. We walked into the station. She pointed to the departure board. It was about twenty yards in. We strolled over. I looked at her silhouette a couple of times. She was tall and in shape. She wasn’t afraid to eat, but did some kind of regular exercise. Early morning runs and light calisthenics. Maybe a habit formed in the academy. A dedicated young professional. When she got to the departure board she said, “Somewhere with no rain.”

“No rain, good food, beach, sun.”

“You forgot beautiful women. That’s usually on the male fantasy bucket list.”

“No need to travel. We’ve got that right here.”

She blushed. We were both in a high state of distraction. We were standing close and I could smell her hair. It was not the right place or time. She got it together first and pointed at the departure board. “You have a train leaving for Tours. That’s south. From there you can do what you want.”

“Out of your jurisdiction.”

“Out of sight, out of mind.”

“That’ll be fine. Thanks for chaperoning me.”

“Train leaves in half an hour. Want to get a coffee?”