‘About what?’

  ‘About anything. I’ll get us inside. We’ll take a look around. We’ll scour every inch if we have to. But you’ll stay in my sight for the whole time and not do anything stupid. Yeah?’

  ‘Whatever you say.’

  ‘I like that answer,’ she said with a wink. She looked around at the house, the grounds. ‘It’s pretty. I see why you like it. And… it’s quiet. Looks like you were right about it being empty.’

  They made their way up to the front door, Hinch a little fidgety.

  ‘Any alarm?’ she asked.

  ‘Not the last time I was here. Just a simple lock on the front door, same for the back and for the door to the kitchen on the side. Guess they don’t get too many burglaries around here.’

  ‘Just the way I like it,’ Hinch said. She dug in her pocket and took out what looked like something between tweezers and a hair clip.

  ‘Always prepared, huh?’ Callum said.

  ‘You’d better believe it. Close your eyes and count to ten.’

  ‘You don’t want me to see how you do it?’

  ‘You can if you want. Just wanted to test myself.’

  He closed his eyes. But… not really.

  He’d counted to eight before he heard the click and saw Hinch push down on the handle. He opened his eyes fully and noted the wide smile on her face.

  ‘Not bad, eh?’

  He didn’t respond but pushed the door further open and took in the familiar sight.

  ‘After you,’ she said.

  Callum stepped inside and sucked in the cool air of the interior. A little musty. A little… unusual. Not quite the same as he’d expected. As if⁠—

  ‘Why don’t you give me a quick tour first, then we’ll start searching.’

  ‘OK. This… is the entrance hall.’

  Hinch nodded and pursed her lips. ‘You know, I think you might be right.’

  Callum turned and walked off rather than respond to that. He headed along, the entrance to the kitchen to his left, the main living room on his right, unease growing with each step.

  He stopped.

  ‘What is it?’ Hinch asked.

  The smell. The feel.

  ‘We’re… not alone,’ Callum whispered. ‘I think someone’s here.’

  He nodded to the kitchen doorway, all of two steps from them.

  ‘It’s OK,’ she said to him, nodding.

  Callum froze. But what he should have done was barge through her, trample her head as he rushed out of there. Instead, he fucking froze.

  ‘It’s OK,’ Hinch said again, calming, like someone would with a wild animal. ‘Just… keep going.’

  And for some reason he did. Mainly because he actually wanted to know what he was walking into before he went on any kind of attack.

  Although in the end there was no kind of attack at all. Instead, he simply froze once more when he reached the kitchen doorway and saw the man inside.

  A man he recognised.

  Lea’s ‘colleague’, Denis.

  ‘Good to see you again, Cal.’

  21

  ‘Why does it feel like we’ve been here before?’ Callum said, subtly stepping further into the kitchen, circling around the island, keeping the opposite side to Denis as Hinch took up the space in the doorway. His eyes flicked around the room. A door – an exit to outside – lay to his right. But if he made a dash for it, where would he even go? Hinch had the key for the car, and it was a hell of a long way to run to safety.

  Knife block, on the far end of the island.

  So he was going to stab these two to death?

  ‘I think he means the time Warren and I were at his house,’ Hinch said. ‘How we surprised him there.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Callum said. ‘That’s exactly what I meant.’ He shot a steely glare at Hinch. ‘What the hell was the point of the charade? Picking the lock, walking me in here, like…’

  ‘Like what?’ Denis said, looking amused. Smug.

  ‘Just why?’ Callum said. ‘You knew he was here, waiting?’

  ‘Yes,’ Hinch said. ‘But how was I supposed to explain that to you before? Would you have gladly walked inside still?’

  ‘So you wanted me inside first, nowhere to run, before springing this latest twist. Do you people ever tell the truth about anything?’

  ‘Yes,’ Hinch said. ‘About wanting to help you.’

  ‘So you…’ Callum said to Denis. ‘You…’

  ‘Work for MI6,’ Denis said. ‘Always have done. At least, since we first crossed paths.’

  Toulouse. That’s when Callum had first met this guy. He felt like a fool all over again thinking back to those days. Back then Lea had claimed Denis was just at the same conference as her. That they hadn’t even known each other until that point.

  Then the next time Callum had seen him was at his and Lea’s wedding. And he hadn’t got the vibe that she was particularly welcoming of his presence that day…

  ‘How did you even know to be here?’ Callum asked.

  Denis smiled again, so damn confident and full of himself. ‘It wasn’t that hard, really,’ he said. ‘I was already on the continent. I had Warren and Jenn back home trying to find you, trying to find out whatever they could about what was happening. I hear you’ve been quite hard to pin down.’

  He laughed at that. Apparently Hinch found it funny too. Callum didn’t.

  ‘When she said you’d boarded that cruise? I guessed you’d be coming here. Two hours ago, she sent me a text to confirm it, when you put the address into the satnav. But I was already ahead of you both by that point.’

  Callum’s temperature was rising, anger building, because the villa was anything but stuffy.

  I guessed you’d be coming here.

  ‘You know this place?’ Callum asked.

  ‘The villa? Not specifically. The area? I’ve been before, yes. And I know you and Lea came here often.’

  ‘Yeah. I’m sure you know everything about us. About me. About her.’

  ‘You don’t need to sound so bitter,’ Denis said. ‘We were colleagues. Pretty much partners. The first time you two came here… there wasn’t exactly an ulterior motive. But I was in the country too. We’d arranged to meet an asset here. The vacation, travelling with you, was good cover for her.’

  Callum didn’t say anything, lost for words as his brain scrambled for answers, scrambled to make sense of the memories he had which he was now so unsure about.

  The first time he and Lea had come here? One of the best long weekends of his entire damn life. She’d been so happy, relaxed. They’d eaten great food, drank so much local beer and wine, sunbathed, read, lazed in and by the pool.

  She’d taken a trip to a day spa… a treat to unwind. He’d been happy to sit by the pool by himself for a few hours – he hated massages.

  He’d been played. Then. How many other fucking times?

  ‘Don’t beat yourself up,’ Denis said, still enjoying every moment of Callum’s discomfort. ‘It’s just who she was. A damn good agent.’

  ‘A manipulative liar,’ Callum said, and immediately felt bad for it. And the insult seemed to knock some of Denis’s smugness away too, as though he was Lea’s great defender.

  ‘She was conflicted,’ Denis said. ‘Because of you.’

  Callum snarled. Would happily have hopped over the island at that point and smashed his fist into Denis’s gut at the insinuation that he was the cause of whatever problems Lea had.

  He didn’t. And not just because he wasn’t a man of violence, but because he was way too wary of what these two were capable of.

  A thought struck him. ‘Wait,’ he said. ‘You were there? In Bucharest?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You’re the missing agent?’

  No answer or even indication this time, but Callum still felt that was kind of the same thing as saying yes.

  ‘So you know exactly what she was doing there,’ he added. ‘What you both were doing there. And why she was killed.’

  ‘I know a lot more than most people,’ Denis said. ‘That’s for sure. But I don’t know everything.’

  ‘You know who killed her?’ Callum asked.

  A nod.

  ‘You know why?’

  ‘That’s more complicated.’

  ‘Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?’ Callum asked.

  ‘I will,’ Denis said. His gaze flicked from Callum to the knife block which Callum had edged towards. ‘But why don’t we go sit down… somewhere more comfortable.’

  The living room, with a gorgeous mountain view and patio doors opening out on to the swimming pool, definitely should have been more comfortable than the kitchen, but Callum really wasn’t feeling it.

  Still, he had taken a seat, propped forward in an armchair as though ready to spring into action should he need to, decide to. Denis sat across a coffee table from him. Hinch stood sentry by the doorway, like she often did.

  ‘I understand from Jenn that the police spoke to you already?’ Denis said.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I tried to get her and Warren to you before they did. If I could have been there myself, I would have been. So I apologise for how this has all been thrown on to you.’

  Callum didn’t respond, but Denis’s words didn’t really feel like any kind of heartfelt apology.

  ‘Did anyone from MI5 or MI6 speak to you too?’ Denis asked.

  ‘Haven’t your minions already filled you in on this?’

  ‘I’m not anybody’s minion, idiot,’ Hinch said, looking genuinely offended.

  ‘I’m asking you to fill me in,’ Denis said.

  ‘Then yes. A man claiming to be from MI6 spoke to me. He said his name was Andrew White.’

  Denis said nothing. Showed no reaction, no recognition at all.

  ‘Do you know him?’ Callum prompted.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And is he really from MI6?’

  ‘He is.’

  ‘And is he a good guy in this or a bad guy?’

  ‘You’re expecting there to be a very clear-cut distinction between the two. In my world there often isn’t. But right now… White is a man probably best avoided. For all of us in this room.’

  ‘Is that answer supposed to make me feel better? Because it really doesn’t.’

  ‘I’m just trying to be honest with you.’

  Callum resisted laughing at that ludicrous statement.

  ‘What did White say to you? Ask you?’

  ‘He told me Lea was on an operation in Bucharest. That it went wrong. She was killed. Another agent… who I now believe to be you, went missing. Along with some intelligence. Intelligence that supposedly got Lea killed in the first place. Does that sound about right?’

  ‘It’s definitely one way to spin it.’

  ‘So do you have this mysterious information?’

  ‘No,’ Denis said.

  ‘But you know what it is?’

  ‘Yes and no.’

  ‘Are you going to explain that?’

  ‘In time. But first let’s finish your story. We were talking about White.’

  ‘There’s not much else to say. He believed, like you people seem to, that perhaps Lea had given this intel to me somehow. Or hidden it somewhere only I’d know about.’

  Callum paused to see if Denis or Hinch would make a comment on that point, but neither did.

  ‘He told me little about the mission Lea was on but did put several faces in front of me.’

  A raised eyebrow from Denis to Hinch who shook her head.

  ‘What faces?’ Denis asked.

  ‘They’re in my bag.’

  The rucksack he’d brought with him for this ‘day trip’ from the cruise. He’d left the suitcase in the cabin. He wondered now how that would play out. How long before the cruise line identified that two of its passengers never reboarded at Leixoes? And what would they do then? Alert the authorities? The police?

  ‘Go get it,’ Denis said to Hinch, and off she went.

  Denis and Callum sat in silence. Crazy thoughts whirred in Callum’s head about making a move while it was one on one. But he didn’t, and soon Hinch was back. She tossed the bag to Callum, and he pulled the photos out and placed them on the coffee table. Denis took them and perused while Hinch hovered over his shoulder.

  ‘You know them?’ Callum asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Denis said. ‘I’m sure by now, if White didn’t already tell you, that you’ve figured the connection between Hadjam and the MP Omar Yousefi.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And I can tell you the other men are, one way or another, connected to the Iranian government.’

  ‘And these are the men who got Lea killed?’

  ‘Perhaps not directly, but yes.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s complicated.’

  ‘Because of Yousefi? He’s corrupt? Is that it?’

  ‘I’m damn certain he is. But there’s more to it than that. Much, much more.’

  Callum sighed. ‘But I’m realising you’re not going to be telling me about that.’

  ‘Because it’s more complex than you could imagine, Callum. Just trust⁠—’

  ‘Trust? Trust what? You two? The lies Lea told me? White? How can I trust anything that any one of you has ever said or done to me?’

  And Denis didn’t even try to convince him, only sat there silently a moment. ‘Anything else from White?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘How’d you get away? Given you’ve been named as a wanted man, I can only assume they didn’t willingly let you go.’

  ‘Or maybe they did, for the very reason that they wanted to follow me, to see what I’d do next.’

  Denis nodded, as though he believed that part of the explanation to be correct, although he didn’t seem at all bothered by the idea.

  ‘And why did you come here?’ he asked.

  Callum briefly explained. The visit to Lea’s parents. The painting and its hidden message. The empty safe-deposit box. The idea that if Lea had left him something, it – or at least a clue to it – could be here in Portugal.

  Denis smiled. ‘You’re actually pretty good at this. A couple of days and you’re already thinking like us.’

  ‘I’m nothing like you.’

  The smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. ‘Well, you were right to come here,’ Denis said.

  ‘Because?’

  ‘Because she did leave something for you. Didn’t even take me that long to find it.’ He reached into his pocket and took out a mobile phone which he held aloft like it was a trophy he’d won.

  ‘Where?’ Callum asked.

  ‘Hidden. But not so well hidden. Perhaps that’s only because Lea and I think so alike though.’

  Callum cringed at that comment. Another dig at him? ‘How’d you know that’s for me?’

  ‘Listen for yourself.’

  Denis tossed the phone, and Callum grabbed it and unlocked the screen. A pretty basic phone, much like the one he’d bought yesterday. No contacts, no calls received or made, no messages, no browser history. Only a single voice note.

  Callum hit the play button and put the phone to his ear.

  And then he heard her voice.

  His heart pounded against his ribs, the beats so hard he thought the bones would smash.

  ‘Callum… if you’re listening to this… the first thing I want to say is I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. The lies, what you’re going through now. I hope you’ll forgive me. There’s one thing you have to know… my love for you was real…’ A longer pause this time and he could hear her breathing still, and… was she sobbing? ‘I know you’re very confused. And it’s very likely, if you’re listening to this, that your life is in danger, and it’s because of me. And for that, I… I hope you can forgive me. But I can still help you, so listen very carefully…’ Another pause. Silent this time. ‘Find Denis Petit… You have to find him.’

  Confused, Callum looked at the phone. The voicemail had ended. He rewound the last few seconds and listened again.

  ‘I don’t… understand,’ Callum said.

  ‘She wanted us to do this together,’ Denis said.

  Callum ignored him, listened to the whole of the message again. Then he pushed the device out across to Denis, but he shook his head.

  ‘You keep that. It was meant for you.’

  ‘And you found it⁠—’

  ‘Here, in the villa. Behind a false panel in the wardrobe.’

  Callum looked from Denis to Hinch. She was giving nothing away, but he wondered again how much she really knew about what was happening, about Denis and Lea at all.

  ‘There must be more to it,’ Callum said.

  ‘More to what?’

  ‘To… the clues she was leaving me. Everything was just… to come and find you?’

  ‘No,’ Denis said. ‘I don’t believe that. I think she probably really did intend to leave you more. Perhaps files, papers, I don’t know. That deposit box… maybe she never got around to filling it.’

  ‘Or maybe someone else got there before me.’

  Denis hunched his shoulders.

  ‘You?’ Callum questioned.

  ‘I’ve not been anywhere near England. Probably not a very good idea right now.’

  Callum looked at Hinch.

  ‘Not me,’ she said. ‘I was too busy following you around.’

  ‘I get you’re confused,’ Denis said. ‘Frustrated. Angry. Upset.’

  ‘You don’t know the half of it.’

  ‘I do. Because I’m all of those things too.’

  Callum disagreed, strongly, but he didn’t bother to argue.

  ‘And I can help you, Callum. We need to help each other now.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘You want answers to what happened? So do I.’

  ‘You were there,’ Callum said. ‘You know exactly what happened.’

  ‘Correct. We were taking part in an exchange. The intel Lea had⁠—’

  ‘On the MP? The Iranians?’

  ‘Yes. We were swapping that intel for a prisoner. An American asset. But we were blindsided. The whole exchange was a set-up.’

  ‘So you don’t have the intelligence now?’

  ‘No. But there’s more, Callum, so I want you to listen really carefully to what I’m about to say. What about I’m about to propose.’

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28