Part 4 (1/2)

7

We sat back down. The gentle hum of the air-conditioning replaced Tresillian's growl.

I pointed at the now vacant chair below the screen. 'He seems a lad. I bet he's changed more than just the carpet.'

Julian carried on extracting sheets of paper from his folder and lining them up on the table. All I got from him was a wry smile.

'She attends Moldova State University in Chisinau, the capital. Do you know Moldova?'

Not much. Particularly with a splitting headache. I'd never operated there. 'Only bits and pieces. It's best known for arms smuggling and people trafficking. What about the police - is anybody liaising? Is there someone in the British emba.s.sy I can rely on?'

'Out of the question, on both fronts. The local police are either useless or corrupt. If it turns out she's been kidnapped they might even be part of the problem.'

'When did she go missing?'

'Ten days ago.'

'Who's been looking for her?'

'Only the father. He's frantic, according to our sources. He's hoping he either gets a ransom demand or she'll be back in touch. Kids that age drop off the radar all the time without thinking of the implications.'

I pointed up at the screen and the green-glossed T55, its barrel facing forward, ready to attack. 'He's an ”industrialist”, right? The tank outside the factory provides a bit of a clue. Any known enemies in the arms world?'

'None. He manufactures for the Federation so he's one of the bad guys but, as I understand it, he's our friend and we want to keep it that way.'

I focused on the picture of the girl. 'She speak English?'

'Probably of the cable-TV variety, same as any other kid anywhere.'

'And you have nothing at all from the networking sites?'

'She closed her Facebook page two weeks ago. She's not on any other site.'

'You've checked flight manifests out of Moldova?'

Julian nodded. 'And visa applications that come into the Hungarian emba.s.sy in Chisinau - they deal with all applications for Schengen countries.'

'Tell me about the name.'

'Edinet was her mother's maiden name. She died when Lilian was little. It helps her keep a low profile. We don't think anyone at the university knows who she is - it reduces the kidnap risk.'

'Can you give me addresses?'

'We don't have her latest details. Like a lot of students, she's floated from flat-share to flat-share. The last sighting was at the university a couple of weeks ago.'

'What about Tarasov himself?'

'He can't go to the police, of course, because they're too corrupt. Alert the Mafia and all of a sudden he's facing a ma.s.sive ransom demand if they find her. He's bound to be looking. But stay away from Tarasov, Nick. He's strictly off limits - Tresillian wasn't joking.'

Fair one. 'What's she studying?'

'Sociology.'

'Does she have any medical conditions?' If she needed insulin injections or whatever, I had to know. And if she'd been kidnapped, she might be dead already.

Julian shrugged.

Something else really puzzled me. 'Why is this an MI5 job and not the Firm's?'

'With Tresillian at the helm of both, the demarcation lines are blurring.'

I swallowed another couple of Smarties as he glanced back down at Lilian's picture.

'As Tresillian said, nothing must stop you finding her. Of course we're going to deny anything to do with the operation, but you will have secure comms with me at all times. I'll help you as far as I can, but we cannot be seen poking around in-country. It wouldn't help our relations.h.i.+p with Lilian's father, and certainly not with the powers that be.' He gathered up the paperwork. 'Why don't we get some coffee while I give you the lowdown?'

I followed him to the door. Bright light flooded into the room.

I couldn't help smiling to myself. I was back at work. One last kick at life.

And I now had a really good reason to phone Anna.

PART THREE

1

Monday, 15 March

10.47 hrs

The International Airport Chisinau is the biggest in the Republic of Moldova. It's a member of Airports Council International (European region), the ma.s.sive posters in the revamped terminal proudly proclaimed, as well as the Airport a.s.sociation of CIS Civil Aviation and the ALFA-ACI (L'a.s.sociation des Aeroports de Langue Francaise a.s.socies a l'Airports Council International). What was more: The main priorities of the personnel's activity consist in providing a high-level of flight safety and qualitative services The main priorities of the personnel's activity consist in providing a high-level of flight safety and qualitative services.

But for all its fancy new a.s.sociations with the West, old habits died hard. I was held by three Customs guys in a side office ten seconds after they saw a European pa.s.sport and no mates tagging along. There was a special tax I needed to pay. Since I was only carrying a day sack, they pegged it at thirty dollars.

I'd now been waiting for Anna's flight from Moscow Domodedovo for close to five hours - the last two because her Air Moldova flight was delayed. This was probably the eighth time I'd gone back to the coffee shop in Arrivals, treated myself to a milky Nescafe instant, and soaked up the propaganda as I sat and sipped it.

I'd even resorted to reading the warnings on the packet of Nurofen I dug into occasionally. Long-term kidney damage wasn't high on my list of concerns, so I popped another couple out of the blister pack, grabbed some more Smarties and washed them all down with a swig of coffee.