Part 27 (2/2)
”The business at Quogue, Ivan Bulganin was observing from a clump of trees. He saw Flynn shoot Johnson as the boat came in, but Johnson managed to shoot him in return. Flynn went into the water. Bulganin couldn't do anything about it except get the h.e.l.l out of there, and, as he left, he heard the sound of emergency vehicles arriving.”
”And Frank Barry?”
”Miller left the Plaza to go for a walk in Central Park. Barry followed him, and Potanin stalked them. Barry tried to jump Miller, and Miller had what looked like an ankle holster. He shot Barry in the knee and walked away. Potanin couldn't risk any involvement and cleared off.”
”Christ, what a b.l.o.o.d.y c.o.c.k-up.”
”I haven't finished. Barry called in on his mobile from Mercy Hospital. He told Potanin he'd better get him out or else.”
”And what did Potanin do?”
”Sent Bulganin round dressed as a doctor and stuck a hypo in him. Some nurse arrived, he punched her and got clean away.”
”A total disaster,” Holley said.
”It could have been worse. Barry's dead, and Bulganin made sure to pocket his mobile. There's no connection to Belov, or to us.”
”Well, that's something, I suppose. Have you informed Lermov?”
”Not yet, but I obviously must. He's at a late dinner at the UN.”
”Hardly a good time.”
”I understand he's coming back to London tonight.”
”Yes. He won't want to confront Putin with this kind of news, but you should tell him, if only to cover yourself,” Holley said.
”And Ivanov?”
”He'll find out anyway.”
”What about the woman? Has she called? Do you know how things are going here?”
”I told her I'd contact her in the morning, but I meant a more civilized hour than this.”
”Well, I think you should tell her about New York as soon as possible.”
”You're right, I suppose. I'll call you back. In the old days, they sometimes killed messengers who delivered bad news.” Holley's laugh had a certain grimness to it.
”Not nice, Daniel, not nice at all. You'll put me off my breakfast.”
Holley got out of bed, put on a robe, then went and sat in an easy chair beside a window that overlooked the terrace and called her. She answered almost instantly. put on a robe, then went and sat in an easy chair beside a window that overlooked the terrace and called her. She answered almost instantly.
”Is it you, Daniel?”
”Yes, Caitlin.”
She seemed to hesitate, then carried on. ”Is there news from New York yet?”
”Where are you?”
”I came over from the presbytery. There's no one round in the church at this time of the morning. I've locked myself in the sacristy.”
”Sitting down, I hope, because I've had my friend Chekhov on with news from his security people in New York, and bad news it is.”
”Go on,” she said in a strangely calm voice.
So he told her.
When he was finished, she said wearily, ”Well, G.o.d wasn't on our side, that's for sure.” she said wearily, ”Well, G.o.d wasn't on our side, that's for sure.”
”What happened in London?” Holley said. ”Tell me the worst.”
”Ferguson and Pool and the limousine. A premature explosion before they got in. Pool had a remote control, so he must have mishandled it, and he was closer to the Amara, so he was killed and Ferguson was simply blown over. Hardly singed, let alone killed.”
”And the Salters?”
”I drove Docherty down there myself and hung round to see how he got on. He seemed to get in the pub all right, but after a while there was a disturbance, and he came running out with somebody after him. He got in that old van you mentioned, started up, and drove straight along the jetty into the Thames. I don't know what went wrong. He must have panicked. I got out of there fast and came back here.”
”A total failure. Barry and Flynn dead in New York, Pool dead, Docherty very probably. What happened to Cochran?” Holley asked.
”I think we may have struck gold there. He got in the garden and was disturbed by a man who beat him up pretty thoroughly. He said he looked like some ghoul in a horror movie.”
”The chemotherapy man,” Holley told her. ”I walked past the house yesterday, to check it out from the outside, and saw him emerge from a side entrance.”
”Another man, Cochran said, came out of the house on the terrace and called: 'Are you all right, Alex?' ”
”Alexander Kurbsky, it has to be, and the other guy would be Yuri Bounine. What happened?”
”This Alex relieved Cochran of his wallet. He was distracted by the arrival of his friend, so Cochran managed to run for it, scrambled over the wall, and got away. He also heard women's voices, and one did call out: 'Alexander, are you well?' ”
”That's it,” Holley said.
”Not quite, Daniel.” She was silent for a moment. ”We even lost when I lied to you.”
In a way, he knew what was coming, and said, ”Spit it out.”
”Monica Starling.” She took a deep breath and told him. ”So there you are, and G.o.d's curse on me for what I did. She's all right, though.”
”And how in the h.e.l.l would you know?”
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