And then he starts to think about Gabriella Seichelmann. Was it a mistake to pull her into this? It didn’t seem like it when he was in Shatila with Alexa. Then he was so scared and confused, felt completely lost and abandoned. And now he doesn’t know if there will be a Belgian SWAT team waiting for him in the arrivals hall.

‘No, no, no,’ he whispers under his breath, and heads for an electronics store near the baggage claim area and arrivals hall.

He buys a burner phone with the MasterCard the bookseller gave him and takes out the piece of paper with Gabriella’s number on it. She answers on the second ring.

‘This is… Karl,’ he begins. ‘I called you—’

‘I remember,’ she interrupts calmly. ‘It’s important we keep this short, Karl.’

He takes a deep breath. ‘I’m here now… and I’m afraid,’ he says.

He hasn’t even considered it before, just swung back and forth between a hard-won calm and full-fledged panic. Now he realizes how scared he is. Completely terrified.

‘I understand that. But you have to hold it together. We have our meeting on Tuesday, as we already agreed. The elevator outside the Palais de Justice at four p.m.’

Tuesday? Three days. It feels like a year from now. ‘But…’ he says. ‘What should I do until then? I’m in Brussels now. What if nobody meets me, what if—’

‘I don’t think we should talk any more about this on the phone, better if we discuss it on Tuesday. And as I’ve said several times now, I can’t do it any sooner. I’m so sorry, but—’

‘You don’t understand!’ He’s raised his voice now, but gets control of himself, and lowers it so as not to be overheard in the airport. ‘I’m being hunted by so many people. I need your help.’

‘All the more reason to stick to the plan. We can’t risk being bugged. In any case, we may both be in danger.’

‘But there’s no way they could be listening, I just bought this phone—’

‘Do as I say,’ Gabriella says. ‘Just stay calm, do as little as possible for the next few days. I have to hang up now. We’ll meet on Tuesday as agreed. Don’t call before unless you have to change the time. This is serious.’

Her firmness and her calmness have an effect on him, and fear loosens its grip somewhat. Just a few days. A back-up plan if all else fails.

‘Okay,’ he says. ‘I’ll manage.’

*

Jacob follows the stream of travellers heading towards the exit. What will happen when he exits into the arrivals hall? Will Yassim be waiting for him? Just the memory of his face, his body, makes Jacob’s hands tremble. But if he’s not there? If he’s been arrested?