Solomon's Keepers (27 page)

‘I’m sorry. What do you want me to say? I’m sorry for you. I just do my job. I don’t know how to help you. I can’t help you. And now I don’t have time.’

She stands and waits by the door. She wants Eva to leave but instead Eva stands and walks across to the mantelpiece. She looks at the pictures one by one: an elderly couple, Zena in academic robes, Zena smiling with an older man against a city backdrop.

‘I just want you to take a message. I need to tell him something, some family news. I don’t need you to do any more than that – just to say you had a message from me and that I need to speak with him. Will you do that?’

‘I can’t help you. He won’t be able to speak to you.’ She looks at her watch.

‘Why not? One call? They won’t let him?’

‘No.’

‘Zena, if I walk out of here it won’t be the end of it and things won’t just go back to how they were before. There are people out there, people I held back for this chance to meet you, for just me and you to meet in person. I won’t get another chance so this has to work for me. You see that, don’t you? So, once again, this is just me. I am here because I need to know about Rees. I’m afraid for him. And I’m afraid for all the people around him, including you, who connect Reuben Matzov to the Americans and all the things that these powerful people want to keep covered up. You are in as much danger because you know too much. I don’t trust Matzov, I don’t trust any of them and I don’t want things to escalate. I just want to clear up where I stand, what happened, what will happen.’

Zena sits on the arm of the couch while she takes this in. She can hear the desperation in Eva’s voice. Something else is going on in her mind.

‘Me, in danger? So you have been talking with the Americans, right? And you told them what you think, and about me, yeah? And how much do you know about them, about what happened to Rees, about what they would have done to him when they didn’t want him any more? Did they tell you about that? Why would Rees want to go back to that? Did it ever occur to you that the world has moved on since you guys?’

‘I don’t understand very much of it. I don’t know if he wants to come back. I don’t know why he went away, whether he had any choice…’

‘Because if you think you’re riding in with the cavalry and saving your hero from the Indians…Well, you may have this all back to front.’

‘So tell me.’

‘I can’t tell you. It doesn’t work like that. I don’t know anything, I can’t tell you anything. I just do my job.’

‘Your job gets you close to him. Tell me you’ll give him a message.’

‘Who put you on to me?’

‘You’ve worked with Jozef Brodzky, haven’t you? You are at Network One.’

‘Jozef has…connections with lots of people there, all the way to Matzov, he is very well-regarded, a leader in his field.’ Her eyes are on the picture of a couple that Eva is holding in her hand.

‘You were more than a student.’

‘So you can Google me. Yes, he was my mentor. He gave me my first job and I stayed with him. He has contracts all over the place, so what?’

‘You said Rees wasn’t so good.’

‘Sometimes he is himself. Mostly now he isn’t. The drugs he has to take are strong. Everything has to be very strong.’ Zena walks to the window, lifts a slat in the blind with her finger. ‘I have to go. When they come for my stuff you can’t be here. It’s best you go now. I’m really sorry. I’ve said too much. It’s all a complete screw up.’

Eva stands up and seizes Zena by the shoulders. ‘Listen to me! Where do you think this leaves you? You’ve got to start to see sense! What’s Matzov going to do when he knows you know enough to put him behind bars? For Christ’s sake you have to be able to see that? Help me to get Rees back safely and I’ll help you get out of trouble too.’

‘You think you can do that? Against Matzov? You think you can help me?’

‘Who else will? ’

‘How?’

‘Because I can tell people that you are helping us, that you need to be protected, that you are vital, that you will be a conduit.’

‘You will have to go to Jozef first. If he says so, then okay.’

There is a loud buzz from the hallway. It goes through Zena like an electric shock. She looks quickly about her. ‘It’s them! I have to answer. You’ll have to go.’

‘Tell me where to find him. With him secure they won’t be able to cover up. But it has to be quick.’

‘Here,’ Zena scribbles an address on the back of the photo. ‘This is where he is in London. His own place. We were planning…but I haven’t spoken to him in days. Don’t try to reach him on any of his phones or email, they’ll all be monitored. Here, take this key. It’s for the side door, patio doors; he won’t answer if you go to the front.’

‘And Rees? The next scat?’

‘I have to go.’

‘I’m not leaving unless you tell me.’

‘Tomorrow is the last day before the election; there is the march, then Matzov’s Sensomondo launch party. I have to do that, they want me now and we’re going there to set up. After that I don’t know what happens. Everything has been changing a lot.’

‘What will he have to do?’

‘I can’t tell you that. They’d know it came from me. I will pass on your message if I hear from Jozef.’

‘But you can tell me something. This scat…’

‘A helicopter. That’s all I’ll say. Now you have to go!’

‘How do we reach you, Zena?’

‘You mustn’t. They watch me whenever I’m with him. I don’t think they trust me. If they didn’t absolutely need me – I don’t know what they’d do.’

Zena shakes herself free and takes a few uncertain steps towards the hall. Her voice drops to a whisper. She looks at the chaos all around her. ‘Shit! I should have had this all together by now. I’ll have to let them in. They mustn’t find you. Quickly!’ Zena beckons. ‘You’ll have to hide. The ground floor, under the stairs. It’s the only place.’

Eva follows her into the hall. Zena looks like a dancer warming up. Her hands are stretched out and she turns first one way and then the other. She wants to run but she doesn’t know where to go.

‘Now go! Run, but be quiet on the last stairs. Don’t put the lights on. You just go around the end of the staircase and stay there. I’ll buzz them in. Don’t go until we’ve gone.’

‘Zena – please – I beg you. Help me and I’ll help you. I have to get him out of there. I have to get him back.’

Zena eyes seem to have turned cold.

‘Go!’

They are at the door. The buzzer goes again. Zena’s face is a mask of pain, of pleading. Eva slips out and down the stairs. She keeps one hand on the banister and steps as quickly as she can. The light from the top landing lights the first two flights and she takes the steps two at a time. The only sound is the brush of her feet on the rough matting and a whisper of linen. When she reaches the ground floor she tiptoes around to the underside of the staircase and flattens herself against the wall. Someone has left a bicycle there and she leans against it, off balance, letting the saddle dig into her ribs. She can hear muted masculine voices outside the door. They press the buzzer again and Zena’s voice comes shredding through. ‘Sorry guys, can’t a girl take a pee in peace? Come on up.’

The door complains as it opens and she hears them come in. Two sets of footsteps straining the boards by her head, the whistle of smooth fabric sliding on walls. She imagines large frames filling the width of the narrow stairs, rounded jacket contours squared against the wall.

Her mobile rings deep in her pocket. Damn! She’s forgotten all about it. She moves away from the bicycle to reach inside her jacket and the bike crumples and slides down the wall, kicking her ankles. She kills the mobile, eventually, and stops to listen. Nothing. She suddenly doesn’t feel like waiting any more. They’ve had one go at her and she doesn’t fancy another. She walks round the staircase and approaches the door, turns the lock and pulls it open. Ten feet away a large man in a black bomber jacket and jeans stands in the middle of the pavement watching her. His arms unclasp and he steps forward as she moves into the light. She feels his eyes on her. She takes in the shaven head, the earring and the stubble. His hand reaches out. ‘Hold on…’

She looks into his face. ‘You’ll have to ring the bell, love. We get all sorts round here.’

She puts the mobile to her ear and flicks her long red hair as she walks past him.

Twenty-five

It’s a short drive across the river and she hardly has time to gather herself before she’s back on the pavement. She wonders whether to call Shaw and decides not to risk it. He’d want to be there.

Brodzky’s place is one of those modern riverside blocks that are all glass smiles as you approach by bridge or boat and cold cement shoulders when you draw up in the service road behind. You park underneath it where the rubbish blows about between concrete pillars. She finds the metal gate and a staircase that takes her into the inner world and an arc of balconies. Brodzky’s place is on the top floor and it’s a climb. The side gate is off the latch and leads to the patio. She unlocks the sliding windows and draws the curtain back enough for her to slip through.

He is seated in an armchair, legs crossed, dressing gown over pyjamas. There is a low lamp on behind him that might have been enough for reading and barely lights the sparse furnishings and bare wooden floor.

‘Hello, Jozef? I’ve just come from Zena. She gave me her key, told me to…My name is Eva. I need to speak with you.’

She can see his eyes are open but wonders for a moment if he is asleep.

‘I am here because you know Rees, don’t you? And I am trying to find him.’

Brodzky is awake, but unperturbed by her entry. He merely turns his head.

‘Ah yes, I remember he talked about you. I can see why now.’ The voice is reedy. He raises an arm weakly. Sit over there – but only for a little while. Why not? So, you’re still causing him trouble?’

‘I suppose so.’ She sits opposite him on an old leather settee. He stays almost motionless, watching her intently through droopy eyes. ‘I didn’t see it that way.’ She says.

‘Ah’

‘What did he say – when he talked to you?’

‘That he’d had to leave you behind. He hadn’t been able to say farewell. All the delays and doubts had lulled him, I suppose, and then he had to go in an instant. That upset him. Perhaps I can say his farewell for him?’

‘I’m planning on seeing him again,’ she says.

‘Of course.’

‘With your help.’

‘I can’t help you,’ Brodzky says.

‘I believe it would be in your own interests now to help me. This whole Solomon thing is coming out. It isn’t just me. I think you could be in real danger now. Zena…’

His hands unclasp and he reaches to take a sip from the glass at his side. ‘I’m sure you mean well and your quest is touching. And of course I know you are not acting alone. How could you be? But you simply don’t know what you’re dealing with – the stage we’ve reached.’

‘What stage? You mean Rees? What do you mean?’

‘I can’t help. I don’t see him now. And things have gone too far.’

‘Can I talk to you about it?’

‘I’m afraid my time is very limited.’

‘Are you alright?’

‘I am perfectly fine.’

‘You seem a bit…Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘I have taken some medicine. It would be better if you left me. Perhaps just a few minutes, since you are here.’

‘I’ve come from Zena.’

‘Yes, you said. I was expecting you’d come.’

‘She told you?’

‘No, I had heard you were looking. I am the most obvious person to visit, am I not?’

‘I guess so – you have a big reputation. And I’m sure you’ve done a lot more that is kept secret.’

‘Well…’

‘You invented the implant device, didn’t you? Practically built a whole new field single-handed. That’s something.’

‘You look a bright girl. Have you a…scientific training?’

‘I have.’

‘In what field?’

‘Biology, I specialise in mechanisms for agricultural pest control.’

‘Mmm, then perhaps you would understand something of what we have done.’

‘I never saw Rees after they went away. Never even heard anything until the news came that he was dead.’

He sighs and fidgets. ‘It’s so stupid, everything done for the worst reasons and in the worst way. I struggled for years with that attitude. That’s why I turned to Reuben’s people in the end. Even they can’t outrun the politicians forever.’

‘All I really want is to get Rees back. We will help you. Zena can help us. She just wants to know we’re helping you, that you’re safe from Matzov’s people. She knows they tried to get to me. Fortunately I had help at hand. And you will too, if…’

Brodzky lets out a snort of laughter. ‘Help at hand! My dear, the only help you have at hand is various people who want your boyfriend dead. And there’s really nothing they can do for me. I have already made provision.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m afraid it’s over, my dear. It’s over.’

You can’t believe that. What are you going to do, just sit here? Wait for Matzov’s people to come and get you?’

‘I have made all my moves. They have my terms. I have absolutely nothing else to do.’

‘You’ve taken something! You’re giving in, aren’t you? What is it? What have you done?’ Eva is on her knees in front of him. Brodzky seems to be fading.

‘I have left instructions on what to do. Forgive me if I decline to give you the details. Suffice to say that detailed records and exhaustive files will be provided to those people who know how to make use of them if my terms are not met.’

Jozef, please, don’t do this! What about Zena? What about…have you no family? You must have people that…’

‘There is no need for hysterics. I know the realities of the situation. I am perfectly in control of my faculties and in possession of my rights. You can leave now.’

‘No way! Damn your rights, you have responsibilities. You put a chip in Rees’ head and I want to know what it’s doing. I want him back.’

‘They’ll kill him. Sorry, but they will. I would sweeten the pill but it wouldn’t help and there is no time. I would rather urge you to save yourself. It is you who faces the most unnecessary danger.’

‘You don’t know that. You can’t know that. How the hell do you know that?’ She has him by the shoulders. He seems impassive, like a doll.

Her mobile goes and she swears and carries on shaking Brodzky. ‘I need you to stay awake, damn it.’

He seems to come to and his eyes widen.

‘Turn that off, will you?’ he says steadily. ‘And don’t be so stupid as to interfere. What I have taken is not reversible. Beyond that point now. Do you understand?’

‘Sorry, I…’ She switches the mobile off.

‘Let me tell you something since you are so determined and distraught. Not much time. Our wonderful minds boil down to two things, patterns we recognise and decisions we make, worldview and action you might say, context and choice, do you see?’

She nods.

‘Pattern, decision, pattern, decision, what’s going on, what do I do? Right, left, right, left, like a march, on and on…And our little nerd, little model-maker runs backwards and forwards and tries to make a name for himself, tries to get one up on the world…and does; he’s the one we have to thank for all this. Solomon empowers that little stationmaster: How am I doing? Do it some more, now left, left, left now, left! The mechanisms are all there, always have been. We just take what’s there and boost it. Do you see?’

‘Well, sort of, go on.’

‘You have to simplify though, don’t you? Spot the important stuff; store it away. When you need it, there it is. The secret is how.’

‘Uh huh.’ She notices he’s dribbling. One of his arms stays limp, the other is twitching. She still has the mobile in her hand. How long has she got? She won’t stop him now.

‘You know, I always wanted to have the operation myself. Boost my own capacity. Does that surprise you? Ironic, I always had to be one step removed. No one else to do it.’

‘How do we help him, how do we get him away, how do we stop them hurting him, Jozef?’

‘Against the Ajax routine, you can’t. I argued against…but they insisted. In the end they got their way.’ He’s slumped again. Eva has to pull him forward.

‘Yes, Jozef – you argued against what? What is the Ajax routine?’

‘Chou understands…capture the important elements and store them. Replicate and expedite. In life, our experience of decisions is weighing all the small stuff, the train times, the prices, calculus of minutiae. But real decisions aren’t made that way. We fool ourselves. Your experience of a decision is just the little guy catching up. It’s already done. The deep dive, the power play is already over. The keepers – that’s where KomViva came from! See what matters; where it’s stored, where the real play is, huh? What if we copy it in a new place, more accessible, what does that mean?’

‘It means…you can control it?’

‘Exactly; finders, keepers – all the really important resources now come under our little stationmaster too. Who am I? What am I here for? How am I doing? What do I know? What should I do? From the voices of angels to the trigger assembly of a bloody M-19; it all comes under him now. Not just the tasks but the big picture, everything. All that matters is what he has to say about it.’

‘Okay…’

‘And if he says all the dreams are dead, all the juice is squeezed, then it is. There’s no balance, nothing to counteract him.’

‘Then, what? Stay with it, Jozef.’

‘Then it’s over.’

‘How do we stop that? How do we stop the little stationmaster from saying it’s over?’

‘What they wanted, they got. Probably never fully understood quite what they had got, the profundity of it, but…. I argued against, tried to get them to change. It can’t be stopped, you see; you have to get in ahead of it.

‘Help me here! When you say it’s over, are you saying this thing can force his brain – to destroy itself – like a bomb or something?’

‘More elegant than that, simpler. People never seem to see that everything they do is based on a framework – that the rules, the values, have to be in there somewhere, are ultimately accessible, are movable. Ajax just has Solomon turn all those resources inward, all those patterns and choices go black. Solomon learns over time where your most treasured beliefs are, where the guidance comes from for the seismic choices, the deepest motivation, it can swap self-destruction into their place. One simple and deadly imperative. People don’t realise that the instinct for life that they take for granted is just an option. It has a mirror image. The healthy mind cannot conceive of the effect; how immediate, how hellish, how deadly. Matzov knows, of course. He knows how to trigger it.’

‘But you could take that out, change it, re-programme it, re-run it, restore the…. You understand it, you’re…’

‘I’m afraid once it’s triggered and it sets that course, there’s no way to take control back, no process to reload anything else or to rewind. Solomon has stolen all the keys, hijacked all the sources of deep resolve, of power. So it would only, could only…run once.’

‘So how would I…if I… Oh shit!’

She lets him slip back into the chair. She listens for breathing at his chest, realises he’s gone. His eyes have closed. He still has one finger pointing. She’s dropped the mobile but finds it again on the floor. Better idea. She is on her feet. ‘No, I need yours, where is it?’ She checks the hallway, then comes back and pats his pockets, then finds the bedroom. There’s a laptop open by the bed and a mobile on the covers. Eva picks it up and scrolls for messages sent. Ten deep, she finds one to Zena. He spells all the words and signs off as *J. Suddenly terrified, Eva pecks in a brief text:

Helping E can’t speak msg R good luck tomorrow *J

She pockets the mobile and takes a last look at Brodzky, reclining and peaceful as though in sleep. It would only run once. She has her own mobile in her hand and dials John Shaw as she leaves.