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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 started gathering his papers. ‘That warehouse was cleaned out the day before Shrek arrived. So whatever was there is now somewhere else.’ He pointed at de Payns. ‘We’re on a clock—find me some answers.’

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

It was Friday afternoon and de Payns had an operation to get back on track. He’d let Raven drink too much and perhaps he’d been too friendly. Whatever the combination, she’d divulged too much about her brother at their last meeting and then suddenly pulled back.

She was scared, justifiably so, and if he couldn’t palm off the contact to someone else he’d have to find a way to resurrect it himself. He trained across town and found an internet cafe in le Marais from where he sent an email to Raven, telling her he was in Belgium again and asking if she would be available to see him. Then he took the Metro to the Left Bank and, after three stops, ducked into another internet cafe. He opened the Sébastien Duboscq webmail and found a response to his email, logged at eighteen minutes after he’d sent it. She was keen, and his heart sank as he read her suggestion that they borrow a friend’s boat on Saturday and explore the canal. He’d wanted to spend the weekend with Romy and the boys, walking through the markets, watching Patrick play soccer, buying new school gear for Oliver. But if the Raven situation wasn’t rescued now, they might be too late to stop whatever the Pakistanis were cooking up.

He sent an email: See you at 11, at the marina? I’ll call as I approach, Seb.

He headed home earlier than usual, picking up flowers on the way. It was a cliché but sometimes it worked. As he opened the apartment door he could hear kids yelling and running. He intercepted Oliver and got a hug, then continued to the kitchen, where he found Romy, wineglass in hand. He got a tipsy kiss from his wife, a little wetter than usual. Ana Homsi was on the Juliet balcony, finishing a smoke. She stepped in and gave de Payns a one-two on the cheeks.

‘I hadn’t realised before,’ said his wife’s new friend. ‘Romy says you were a fighter pilot in the air force?’

‘A lifetime ago.’ He smiled while Romy poured him a glass. ‘I’m a pen-pusher now. It takes a lot of managers to keep one plane in the sky.’

‘A pen-pusher who gets to wear comfortable shoes,’ she said, raising her glass.

‘Casual Friday.’ He returned the toast.