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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

Frasier turned to de Payns. ‘I’m not asking you to cut corners on Alamut, but if there’s a fast way and a slow way, you’re to take the fast way, understand? I have a feeling time is not on our side.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER

THIRTY-EIGHT

De Payns closed the latest DR file sent to him via Marie Lafont. It was depressing reading—French teams had taken control of the poisoned village in Afghanistan, testing the ancient water cistern and the dead bodies. It had been a week since Fazel had been delivered to Villacoublay and the DO science team had now concluded that the samples taken in Afghanistan were manipulated strains of Clostridium perfringens suspended in drinking water. Manipulated because the strain detected was epsilon toxin type D—ETX-D—a type of Clostridium perfringens not found naturally in humans. There were no animals or animal organs found in the cistern or upstream of the cistern. The bacterium had caused massive internal haemorrhaging in the victims and multiple organ failure, and at death the body was filled with gassy pustules. The Company could not isolate where it came from, but through intercepted military communications the DGSE knew the Russians suspected a weaponised clostridium was being developed at the MERC.

De Payns put down the report and rubbed his face. The photographs of the deceased were hideous and he had only been able to look at a few before pushing them aside. He had to accelerate Alamut. During the week de Payns had conducted a second meeting with Raven in Mons and the Company wanted him to push harder and faster than he normally would. He checked his watch, then headed for a meeting with Garrat, Lafont and Templar.

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Garrat summarised de Payns’ second meeting with Raven. The important milestone was getting Raven’s signature on an NDA and engagement contract. As de Payns’ association with Raven became stronger he would ask for information and insights that took her into the grey areas of legality and loyalty. This escalation should lead to an upgraded contract to reflect greater secrecy. It was that second, grey-zone documentation that could eventually propel the target into the black zone. It was easier to ask someone to break the law if they had already bent it. And it was the second contract that contained the clauses that could later be used to blackmail the target: What do you mean we tricked you? That’s your signature, isn’t it? And this is a picture of you signing the contract with a French spy? Having got that far, a person like de Payns—when faced with a pull-back from a target—could waive the contract and discuss the facts of life: I wonder if the head of counterintelligence at the ISI would be interested in your contractual agreement to deliver us classified material from the Pakistani government? He can even read how much we paid you.