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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

She looked confused. ‘Why?’

De Payns pulled back; he couldn’t afford to blow this. ‘You thought I would get on well with him, non? I’d like to meet him.’

She nodded, relaxing again. ‘He doesn’t have a lot of freedom to move around, because of the nature of his work. He’s mostly limited to his lab and his home. I’m the only person he’s allowed to see socially. Perhaps I can invite him for dinner?’

De Payns smiled. ‘That sounds great. When are you leaving for Islamabad?’

‘In three weeks,’ she said.

De Payns realised this might be the only chance. ‘That’s perfect. I’ll be in New Delhi around then and I have a client in Lahore. Islamabad is just up the road—I could hire a car, come up and see you?’

‘I’ll let you know,’ said Raven, raising her glass.

De Payns raised his own and clinked it against hers. ‘To science,’ he said.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CHAPTER

FORTY-SIX

The Alamut mission team had a short window in which to meet. Lafont was in Germany and couldn’t make it, so Briffaut convened in the top-floor SCIF with de Payns and Garrat. The atmosphere had become rushed, which usually indicated that Frasier had briefed a member of the government and now results were expected yesterday.

Briffaut worked with his shirtsleeves rolled up. ‘Right now, we have two lines operating at once—the DO have a team working on the comings and goings at that Palermo warehouse, determining what was there, how much there was and where it has gone. It could have left by ship or plane, or, if it was a small enough quantity, it could have been walked off Sicily in a couple of backpacks.’

De Payns had already helped the DO team get started. They were led by Louis Blanco, who was a good operator; if there was a logistics trail for whatever had been in that warehouse, Blanco would find it.

‘The second line is Alamut, and that’s what we’re here to discuss,’ said Briffaut. ‘We have to get close to the MERC and confirm the source of the Clostridium perfringens. That’s our only chance—to get to the source of this crap.’

There was one game in town and that was de Payns’ relationship with Raven.

‘Your report says you’ve been invited for dinner with Timberwolf and Raven in Islamabad,’ said Briffaut. ‘Are we sure it’s not a trap?’

De Payns knew his role—he couldn’t be sure the dinner wasn’t a trap, but Briffaut did not want that evaluation on the record. He wanted de Payns to be sure enough to accelerate what was a very dangerous operation. He wanted to hear that de Payns could be dining with Raven and Timberwolf in Islamabad very quickly. He didn’t want to hear the doubts and the ‘ifs’.