A Deceit to Die For (47 page)

“I’ll make sure that the appropriate contacts are made,” responded Gilbert solemnly. “Is there anything else?”

Gwyn couldn’t believe how detached her brother sounded, and it bothered her. A volcano that was constantly flowing was not nearly as dangerous as one that released all of its pressure in a single blast. She knew her brother, and when his anger fell silent, it meant the pressure was building.

“I know this is hard,” she said gently. “But Z. says they’re probably not in any grave danger right now because they plan on using them to ransom the document.”

“I know,” said Gilbert, “And you know, that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Zeki continued, “It looks like they plan to contact you with ransom demands through your secretary although I am pretty sure we all know what those will be.”

“So, it’s going to be the document in exchange for my family? I don’t like how lopsided everything is. Given all that these people have managed to do, how high up do you think their connections go?”

“To the very top,” responded Zeki without hesitation.

“Then, who can we trust?”

“No one. At least not because they wear a uniform and have sworn to uphold justice and public safety. As you know and the key-logger confirms, they have someone on the inside at the Metropolitan Police. Your sister tells me you work in security so you must know that even your own FBI is . . .”

“I know,” interrupted Gilbert, “there to preserve social order and the status quo.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say,” said Zeki. “But I guess the result is the same. In my opinion, the four of us should plan to meet in Istanbul as soon as you can get there. If you give me two hours, I can have new identities for both of you to travel on. Obviously, you cannot go anywhere as Gilbert and Gary O’Brien.”

“You seem almost as well-connected as the people who are hunting us,” said Gilbert dryly, a hint of skepticism seeping through.

“I have a few favors I can call in, but believe me when I say that I am rapidly depleting what little capital I accumulated in over twenty years with the Agency. These are all personal friends who will ask no questions and have proven their loyalty to me many times. If you don’t want their assistance, I’m sure they have other things they could be doing.”

His voice conveyed no irritation, which only served to heighten the sting everyone felt from the man who had just saved Gwyn’s life.

“I’m sorry,” said Gilbert quickly. “It’s hard not to be skeptical and cautious in the face of so much coincidence.”

“I think you meant to say ‘Providence,’” replied Zeki softly. “Besides, coincidence or no, the facts speak for themselves.”

“Fine, but I have a personal friend I would like to involve if you don’t mind,” said Gilbert. “He has a wealth of experience in international politics, so maybe he could help us unravel this mess. He was with the State Department for . . .”

Gwyn interrupted emphatically. “Absolutely not. I do not want you bringing Matt Connor into this.”

“Do you know anyone else we can trust? Anyone else who would want to stick their neck out on our behalf? Anyone else who could bring something to the table?” He paused. She remained silent, so he continued, “He was with the State Department for six years, a rising star in the diplomatic corps, but he resigned two years ago.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Gwyn. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Probably because you told me never to mention his name again, or had you forgotten that?”

“No, of course I hadn’t, but . . . well . . . that is a pretty significant development. You could have let me know without using his name.”

The two brothers looked knowingly at each other. It was obvious she still had feelings for him.

“He and I have stayed in touch. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s over you by now. It’s been three years. Anyway, as I was saying, he is able to maneuver comfortably in the world of diplomatic relations.”

Zeki interrupted and the urgency and rapid-fire manner in which he gave instructions surprised them all.

“I think we are finished here. If you think you can trust him, and if he is as connected as you say, then any addition would be welcomed. We will contact you in Istanbul via this email address to arrange a rendezvous point. Don’t contact your secretary by any usual channel. They will definitely be monitoring her communications. That will buy us time. They won’t do anything until they deliver their demands. Your sister has downloaded a significant amount of information we think is related to G.O.B. and a group called the Moriscos. It will take us twenty hours to get to Istanbul, so we should have plenty of time to brush up on our history. She will upload everything about Barnabas to your ftp site. We’ll take the Moriscos. If we can find out why they are so desperate to recover this document, we might be able to use that to our advantage.”

Gwyn interjected, “I’m expecting you two cerebral superstars to be ready for a thesis defense on the Gospel of Barnabas by the time we meet. We’ll compare notes in Istanbul. Any questions?”

“Where will we meet your friend to get new ID?”

“He’ll meet you at Paddington station in two hours. Bring your current passports and allow at least one hour for him to prepare new ones.”

Gilbert sighed deeply. “Well, I guess we’ll see you in Istanbul, then.”

“Bon voyage,” said Gary.

“
Iyi yolculuklar,
” responded Zeki.

><><><
 

Gilbert opened his bag and removed a thick stack of one hundred Euro bills, counted out seven and handed them to Gary.

“If I had known security paid that well, I might have followed in your footsteps. Do you always carry that much cash?”

Gilbert was too preoccupied to make a witty comeback.

“I knew the credit card would be traceable, so I made a cash withdrawal at several ATM’s near the hotel before I went to Soho. Then, I saw a young couple, probably university students, standing in line for Chunnel tickets. I told them that as my daily random act of kindness I would like to pay their fare.”

Gary let out his breath in a low whistle.

“Not exactly what I would call a ‘random’ act of kindness. Clever though. So, now these assassins are going to be looking for us in Folkestone or on the French side at Coquelles?”

“That will be only the beginning of their chase,” said Gilbert, without taking his eyes off of the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see soon enough. Right now, I need you to get us a laptop so that we can read these files from Gwyn on the plane. I’ll download them from the ftp site, try to contact Connor, arrange transportation and meet you at Paddington station in one hour.”

Gary stood up to leave, and Gilbert grabbed his arm.

“Hey man, it’s good to see you again.” His eyes were watery.

“It’s good to be back. Don’t worry about Ginger and the kids. If all they want is the document, we give it to them. It’s as simple as that.”

“I wish I were half that confident. Those ruthless bastards have my wife and kids. We know what they did to Dad, to the other Turkish professor, what they intended to do to Gwyn. I can’t even leave the country safely without help from a member of Turkish intelligence. Why does he want to help? How did he just happen to show up?”

“I think in English we call it a god-send, Gilbert. Stop worrying and make your call. I’ll see you at Paddington.”
 

Gary turned and started weaving his way through the banks of computer towards the door. Gilbert turned back to the computer screen and punched in Connor’s number. On the third ring, Connor picked up.

“Hey Matt. This is Gilbert O’Brien.”

“Great to hear your voice, man. It’s been awhile.”

“Yeah, listen, do you have a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

Gilbert quickly told him about his father’s murder, Gwyn’s narrow escape and the kidnapping. Connor listened without interruption until he finished.

“I’m so sorry, Gilbert. Your father was a great man. He treated me like a son.”

“Probably because he wanted you as a son-in-law,” replied Gilbert.

“You know I would have assumed that title quite happily . . .”

“I know,” said Gilbert. “The whole family took it pretty hard when you and Gwyn broke up.”

“She was right to break it off, you know.” Matt’s voice was soft and serious. “She saw more clearly than anyone that I was already married to myself and my work. It has taken that long for me to see that everything she said was right. I’m only just now starting to put things back together. So, what are you going to do about getting Ginger and the kids back? You know I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” replied Gilbert. “I need you to pull any strings you have to get a yellow notice issued for the kids. We need to intercept them before they get to Istanbul.”

“That should be easy.”

“We know they had help on the inside in London and have to suspect they may have people in America. It was amazing how fast they put that strike team together. Do you have anyone who could make some discreet inquiries?”

“Absolutely.”

“There is just one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’d really like it if you could be with us in Istanbul.”

“I was hoping you’d ask. Bounty hunting can be lonely. It would be great to catch up with you.”

“Don’t tell me you find this new line of work boring.”

“No, not boring, but local mafia bosses, pimps, brothels and corrupt police are a far cry from the glamour of the diplomatic core. The mafia in three different countries – Moldova, Ukraine and Albania – put a price on my head after I brought in those two ring-leaders in May. Tit for tat you might say. Legitimate governments, if you believe in that sort of thing, offer a bounty for the capture of criminals, and the underground government offers a bounty for me.”

“Matt, I want these S.O.B’s to pay.”

“Get your family back, Gil, and let it go, or you’re going to end up in a body bag. Trust me on this one.”

“When can you be in Istanbul?”

“I’m in Iasi now. We just had a week-long training session with border police at the University.”

“Iasi?” asked Gilbert.

“Sorry, eastern Romania. It’s a large university town that serves as a place to recruit and transfer girls being trafficked to the expensive markets of Western Europe. I can be there tomorrow night, if you need me to be.”

“I do,” said Gilbert. “I’ll call you when I get there. We’ll plan on meeting Monday morning. Gwyn’s coming too. I hope that’s okay.”

“If she’s okay with it, I am.”

“She’ll be fine,” said Gilbert coolly. Right now, whether or not these two were over their relational pain was taking a backseat to getting his wife and kids back safely. “Do you think you could bring one of those canisters carried by the mules running stuff for the mafia?” he continued.

“Sure. You’ll be on the European side?” asked Matt.

“Yeah, probably somewhere near Taksim. Gary knows the area well.”

“I thought he was in India.”

“He was,” replied Gilbert.

“The last time I talked to Gwyn about him, she was worried sick. Of course, that was three years ago.”