'You know him?'
'Yes.'
In the picture, black-and-white, grainy, he was standing in a club doorway, the light from the neon sign illuminating his face, the scar that ran from close by his left eye down into the dark shadow of his beard. He seemed quite tall, though it was difficult to tell for sure, strong-looking, with a broad, thick neck and large, broad hands. He was dark-haired, wearing a dark suit with a pale shirt and dark tie.
'You saw him with Zoukas?' Daines said.
Andreea shook her head.
'I thought you just said-'
'My house. Where I lived in Nottingham. Before. He came there.' She looked at Lynn. 'I told you about him.'
'The man with the knife.'
'Yes. He make me get into his car, drive me somewhere, make me tell him what I have told the police about Nina. And Viktor. He tell me he will kill me if I say anything bad about Viktor. Anything more than I tell police already.' She looked towards Lynn again. 'Now he will know. He will know-'
'Andreea,' Lynn said. 'I keep telling you, it's all right. You're safe here.'
'This man,' Daines said, 'did you see him with Viktor Zoukas?'
'No. No, never.'
'You're sure?'
'Yes, of course.'
'Not at the sauna or anywhere?'
'No.'
'And when he threatened you, was he on his own?'
'No. There was someone else. In the car, driving the car.'
'Describe him. What did he look like?'
'I didn't see.'
'You must have seen something.'
'No. He was in the car. Driving the car. It was dark.'
'Okay. All right. Let's look at the rest of these.'
There was nobody else that Andreea recognised; not definitely. One or two about whom she was uncertain, but so much so as to be of little use. Daines asked her more questions about Zoukas, but there was little she could tell him. Little that she knew.
After just over half an hour, he was through. 'Thank you,' he said. 'Thank you for your cooperation. It's appreciated.'
A few minutes more, words of thanks to Alexander Bucur for the tea, a quick exchange of glances between Lynn and Andreea, an assurance from Daines that the man in the photograph wouldn't be troubling her again, and they were back out on the street.
'Worth the time and trouble?' Lynn asked, as they walked towards the High Road.
'Depends. Not as fruitful as I'd have hoped, but interesting nonetheless.'
'The man she recognised, what's his name?'
'Ivan Lazic. He's a Serb. He was a member of the Serbian security forces between '96 and '98, when he was captured by the KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army. Instead of standing him up against a wall and shooting him, they seem to have cut him some kind of deal. He turned up on our radar in '99-Customs and Excise, that is. Seems to have been in cahoots with the Albanians ever since.'
'But now he's back out of the country, like you said?'
Daines gave her a look. 'I've no idea. But I didn't want your pal Andreea throwing another tantrum.'
Lynn gave it a few seconds. 'Andreea,' she said, 'had you seen her before?'
'No. Never. Why d'you ask?'
She didn't reply.
They both took the Central line as far as Bank and changed; Daines was taking the train from St. Pancras, Lynn catching the other branch of the Northern line as far as Kentish Town. She had a friend, she told him, a Detective Inspector stationed at Holmes Road, and they were going to have lunch before Lynn, herself, took the train back to Nottingham.
'Thanks for all your help,' Daines said, as passengers pushed round them on the Bank platform.
'No problem.' And Lynn moved off into the crowd.
At Camden Town, she switched platforms and reversed her journey; Tottenham Court Road to Leyton, fewer than ten stops. She'd called her friend, Jackie Ferris, feeling paranoid for doing so, but wanting to cover her tracks, and then Alexander Bucur also, needing to make certain Andreea would still be there.
Bucur was outside when she arrived, one leg cocked over his bicycle. 'I have to go. Andreea is upstairs.'
A smile and he was away.
Andreea had changed into a different top and reapplied her makeup; anxiously, she looked past Lynn to make sure no-one was following.
'Daines,' Lynn said, 'the man I was with earlier. You knew him, didn't you? You'd seen him before.'
Andreea hesitated. 'Yes,' she said eventually. 'Yes, yes.'
'Okay.' Lynn took a seat beside her on the settee. 'Tell me where.'
'Wait, please.' Andreea reached for a pack of cigarettes, went across to the window and opened it quite wide. 'Alexander, he does not like me to smoke here,' she explained, taking a lighter from the pocket of her jeans.
'It was in London,' she said, after the first drag. 'Two, yes, two years ago.'
'But how?'
'When I came to his country first, I was staying with some friends in Wembley. That was when I first met Viktor. One of the girls, she was working at a club that was run by one of Viktor's friends. Lap dancing, you know? She said she would see if she could get me a job there, too. The owner, he told me I had to dance for his friend, Viktor. He said it was my-the word is 'audition'?'
'Yes.'
'Afterwards, he laugh in my face and tell me there is no job, but Viktor say if I do not want to stay in London, I can work for him. First I have to show him what I can do. I said I thought I had done this, but he said no, this was something different.' Andreea blew smoke in the general direction of the open window. 'It was sauna, massage parlour, belong to his brother, Valdemar. I was-I was not shocked, I know these things go on, and I did not want to do this. But Viktor, he tells me if I work for his brother a short time and learn business, he will make me manager of place he has somewhere else; all I have to do look after girls, clients, take money.' She shook her head. 'This is not what happens.'
'And that was when you saw Daines, when you were working for Viktor's brother?'
'At Valdemar's, yes.'
'And Daines was there in what connection?'
Andreea looked at her as if she didn't quite understand the question.
'Daines. What was he doing there?'
'Oh, at first I thought, him and Valdemar, it was business between them. But then I think, no, they are friends. They drink together and Valdemar takes him round, shows him girls. There is one, Marta, she is no younger than me, but small, you know? Small features, small bones. She can look like schoolgirl. Your friend-'
'Daines.'
'Yes, Daines, he goes with her. More than one time while I am there.'
'He comes back?'
'Yes. I think, twice more. I see him twice more. He does not see me; I am nothing to him. Just Marta.' She paused, as if uncertain whether to continue. 'Once, I think he hurt her. I hear her cry out, scream, and later Valdemar is angry. He and your Daines they shout a lot and I think they will fight, but later I hear them laugh and Valdemar say next time it will cost him more, and they laugh again.'
Lynn looked away, towards the window.
Andreea drew hard on her cigarette and held the smoke inside. 'I did not see him again until today.'
