BooksBarbecue
Back The Frenchman
Chapters (76)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. AMIN
  5. PARIS
  6. … TWO YEARS LATER
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  76. EPILOGUE

‘Three co-workers, sharing a ride?’ offered de Payns.

‘Husband and wife,’ said Thierry. ‘One of them has two phones—one for home, one for their lover.’

‘Ha ha!’ said Templar, slapping the wheel. ‘Be careful with that kind of thinking—they’ll put you in actions teams, right, Aguilar?’

De Payns smiled. ‘Like he said, Thierry, be careful with that.’

The convoy continued north through scrub and market gardens as daylight faded. De Payns checked his watch: 6.31 p.m. They had a strict commitment to stop following at seven o’clock.

A modern-looking suburb loomed out of the scrublands, and as they closed on it the Mercedes’ indicator light started blinking. The brake lights came on and the black vehicle was rolling to a stop at the traffic lights on the edge of the residential area. Templar switched on the headlights and pulled back. The atmosphere in the Nissan was tense as they rolled closer to their prey and waited for the tell-tale signs of a head in the car turning to see who was behind. The heads didn’t turn.

The traffic lights turned green and they turned left into suburbia, with modern, wide streets and detached houses. The verges were green and there were established trees and acacias, suggesting this was an area that was irrigated, and not for agriculture. A status symbol in Pakistan.

They followed the Mercedes into the comfortable suburb, losing sight of it as the convoy of three cars took a long bend. On the other side of the bend, de Payns couldn’t see the Mercedes.

‘Side streets,’ said de Payns. Templar slowed and de Payns saw the Mercedes’ brake lights down a side street on their right, as it stopped and turned left into a driveway.

Templar slowed and did a U turn, circling back and into the side street. They crept down the street, keeping a constant speed as they drove past the Mercedes, parked in a driveway beside a medium-sized house. One man in a black suit was opening the rear door of the car and another man, also in a black suit, was entering the side door of the house.

Templar kept driving. They made their way back to the main road and headed south, back to the expressway and into the heart of Rawalpindi. Now they had a street and a number, and they’d seen at least two people. But neither looked like a scientist.

‘Three occupants of the car,’ said Templar. ‘Those two are the bodyguards. Our VIP was in the back seat.’

‘The one at the door was doing a security sweep of the house?’ asked de Payns.

‘That’s what I saw,’ said Templar.

‘We need some surveillance and a photograph of the VIP,’ said de Payns.

‘Copy,’ said Templar. ‘I’ll return tonight, confirm the house set-up.’

‘Pictures in the morning?’ asked de Payns.

‘Consider it done.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE