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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

De Payns clambered out of the Toyota and watched it drive away. There was no breeze among the buildings and the temperature must have been high-thirties. He followed the woman through a security door and into a small lounge that shared space with more freight pallets and boxes. One set of pallets featured water filters, probably destined for Afghanistan’s new water infrastructure.

The woman unhooked the radio handpiece from her chest webbing and talked to someone in German. She nodded then turned to de Payns. ‘You can board, front stairs.’

He loaded up with water bottles and packets of biscuits from the lounge area and walked onto the apron towards a DC-10 with a meaningless acronym on the tail. He climbed the stairs to a small area at the front of the cargo plane which had one row of seats, right behind the cockpit. A pilot leaned through, saw him and asked, ‘You are Morel?’ in a thick Dutch accent.

De Payns nodded, and the Dutchman said they’d be in the air in about forty minutes. ‘There are no other passengers, so spread out.’

De Payns reclined the seat and let his eyelids droop. He thought about Islamabad and Palermo and a phone call to Dr Death. And he thought about weaponised gangrene and what that evil bastard might be planning.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER

FIFTY-SEVEN

De Payns came in to Gare de l’Est at 6 a.m., direct from Frankfurt. He walked the concourse, checking for followers, and caught the escalators down to the Metro station, where he went in search of breakfast. He then caught two trains to the Place de la République. He gave a signal with his hand and hair beside the statue at 8 a.m., and at 8.30 entered the Café Français, where the Company’s team was ready to conduct the IS. By 9.16, Alec de Payns was sitting in Briffaut’s office, door closed.

‘I’ve heard the phone call to Timberwolf,’ said Briffaut, taking a seat. ‘We tracked it back and the most we can come up with is that it came from a French phone, and probably a tower in the north.’

‘Paris?’

Briffaut shrugged. ‘We have a recording of the call and we’re working on a voice match.’

‘Shit,’ said de Payns, shaking his head. ‘Someone gave up my pseudo in the middle of an operation?’

‘We’re on it.’

‘My family?’

‘DGS report they’re fine. You okay?’

‘I’m in one piece, but Timberwolf was hostile. He’s a scary guy—he’s capable of anything.’

Briffaut looked at him. ‘Give me a quick report then go to bed. You’re no use to me like this.’

‘We need to find the mole,’ said de Payns. ‘We should have been in the middle of dinner when the traitor called—Timberwolf would have taken the call right in front of me. I’d have had no chance.’

‘That’s interesting,’ said Briffaut.