Isherwood opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel raised a finger to his lips and from his coat pocket removed what appeared to be an ordinary Nokia cellular telephone. It was indeed a Nokia, but it contained several additional features not available to ordinary customers, such as a GPS beacon and a device that could detect the presence of hidden transmitters. Gabriel toured the room again, this time with his eyes on the display panel of the phone. Then he sat down next to Isherwood and, in a low voice, told him why he needed the van Gogh.

“Zizi al-Bakari?” asked Isherwood incredulously. “A bloody terrorist? Are you sure?”

“He’s not planting the bombs, Julian. He’s not even making the bombs. But he’s footing the bill, and he’s using his business empire to facilitate the movement of the men and matériel around the globe. In today’s world that’s just as bad. Worse.”

“I met him once, but not so he’d remember. Went to a party at his estate out in Gloucestershire. Huge party. Sea of people. Zizi was nowhere to be found. Came down at the end like bloody Gatsby. Surrounded by bodyguards, even inside his own home. Strange chap. Voracious collector, though, isn’t he? Art. Women. Anything money can buy. Predatory, from what I hear. Never had any dealings with him, of course. Zizi’s tastes don’t run to the Old Masters. Zizi goes for the Impressionists and a bit of other Modern stuff. All the Saudis are like that. They don’t hold with the Christian imagery of the Old Masters.”

Gabriel sat down next to Isherwood. “He doesn’t have a van Gogh, Julian. He’s dropped hints from time to time that he’s looking for one. And not just any van Gogh. He wants something special.”

“From what I hear, he buys very carefully. He spends buckets of money, but he does it wisely. He’s got a museum-quality collection, but I didn’t realize it was sans van Gogh.”

“His art adviser is an Englishman named Andrew Malone. Know him?”

“Unfortunately, Andrew and I are well acquainted. He’s burrowed his way deeply into Zizi’s pockets. Spends holidays on Zizi’s yacht. Big as the bloody Titanic, from what I hear. Andrew is as slippery as they come. Dirty, too.”

“In what way?”

“He’s taking it on both ends, petal.”

“What do you mean, Julian?”

“Andrew has an exclusive agreement with Zizi, which means he’s not supposed to take money from any other dealer or collector. It’s the way big boys like Zizi ensure that the advice they’re being given is untainted by any conflicts of interest.”

“What’s Malone up to?”

“Shakedowns, double commissions, you name it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive, petal. Everyone in town knows that in order to do business with Zizi, you have to pay a toll to Andrew Malone.”