He didn’t have a choice, realized Grearson. “All right,” he said.
“No stupidity,” repeated the man. “The boy is going to be shackled in the cellar of an empty house. It’s in its own grounds, so he wouldn’t be heard, even if he were able to call out-which he won’t be, because he’ll be gagged. Behave properly and he’ll be free in two hours. Do anything silly and he’ll starve to death. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” said Grearson. “I understand.”
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,” said the Russian, replacing the telephone. He had other calls to make. He still hadn’t sent the instructions to the ship off Algiers.
And when everything was arranged, there were the French police to be alerted.
“We’re sure the Bellicose didn’t get a message out before the seizure,” said Muller.
“Thank you,” said Piet Deaken.
“So your daughter-in-law should still be safe.”
“How long can you keep it under wraps?” asked the old man.
“As long as we want,” said the security chief. “Days, if necessary.”
“I hope to God it doesn’t go on for days,” said Deaken. “That girl must be going through hell.”
34
The noise of revving engines beyond the shuttered windows awoke Karen. She lay momentarily disoriented and then turned sideways, realizing that she was alone in the bed; she hadn’t been aware of Levy leaving. She was dressed and waiting when Leiberwitz came for her, gloatingly hostile.
“It’s over,” he said.
Karen stared back, saying nothing. Levy would keep his promise not to abandon her-she was sure of it. She wished he had woken her up earlier.
“You’re to come now,” said Leiberwitz.
Azziz was already at the table when she got downstairs, with Kahane standing guard at the door. It was open and through it she could see lorries lined in the driveway.
“They’re taking me somewhere,” said Azziz.
“What?”
“Another house,” said the boy.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Levy entered hurriedly from the garden, flushed and obviously excited; his demeanour altered when he saw her and she got the impression that he was embarrassed. He said something to Kahane and Leiberwitz which she didn’t catch and then came farther into the room.
To the boy he said, “Ready?”
The Arab stood uncertainly, and Kahane called from the doorway, “We’ll take you to the car.”
Levy waited until Azziz had left with the two men and then said to her, “I’ll be back.”
“When?”
“Soon. Maybe an hour.”
“Leiberwitz said it was over, sneered at me.”
“I said I’d find a way.”
“Hurry back.”
“Sure.” He reached out awkwardly, touching her hand, and then appeared to change his mind, turning abruptly from the house. She stayed alone for several moments, then followed to the doorway. The lorries prevented her seeing which car he had gone to. It was only when it reversed out onto the road that she saw he was alone with Azziz and remembered the boy’s determination to escape.
“Stop!” she called, but Levy was too far away to hear. The car turned left, heading towards the coast road.
Azziz sat uncomfortably, his left wrist handcuffed to the securing clip of the car seat belt, his right hand clenched into a fist of frustration. There was a Browning automatic pistol in the luggage shelf in front of Levy instead of the earlier Magnum.
“By tonight it should all be over; you’ll be with your father,” said Levy.
“He’ll get you,” said Azziz. “He won’t be beaten by you.”
“Maybe he’ll try.” said Levy. But the Arab wouldn’t succeed; it was an extremely clever idea, to sail to Haifa. They had been fortunate, establishing links with Underberg so early in the protest movement.
Beside him Azziz was concentrating upon the road. He saw the sign to Pertuis and then, almost at once, the turning towards Aix-en-Provence and felt a stab of satisfaction at having guessed where they were during his conversation with Karen. “How much farther?” he said.
“Not far,” said Levy. He looked quickly to the boy, then away again. “You’re going to be left by yourself,” he said. “When we’ve got what we want, your father will be told where you are. You won’t be in any danger. I promise you he’ll be told.”
Levy skirted Aix, slowing at the signposts for the indication to Allauch that Underberg had identified at his briefing. He found it at last, turning to the left and driving with the directions Underberg had given him held against the wheel. The villa was to the right, just off the road, the high wall and metal gates exactly as the man had described. The padlock on the gate was well oiled and opened easily to the key Underberg had provided. Carefully Levy took the car through and then locked the gate behind him. The house was just visible, at the end of the curving drive.
“I could die, left here,” protested the boy.
“1 said your father would be told.”
“What happens if something goes wrong?”
“It won’t.”
The driveway curved smoothly up to the villa, which was shuttered and closed. Levy was still reluctant to leave Azziz by himself. He tried to suppress the doubt, realizing there was nothing he could do to alter arrangements now. He took the Browning from the front compartment and got out of the car, leaving the driver’s door open. He tossed two keys separately onto the seat and said, “The first unlocks the handcuffs-release yourself. The second is to the front door.”
Azziz twisted across the car, freeing himself. He got out of the vehicle massaging his wrist, the handcuff still dangling from it.
“Into the house,” said Levy, gesturing with the gun.
Azziz looked at him contemptuously and then moved ahead towards the villa. He fumbled at the door, appearing to have difficulty inserting the key, and then pushed into the house.
Levy followed too quickly and it was then that the boy made his move. As Levy came in, Azziz slammed the door back abruptly, so that the edge caught the Israeli’s gun hand. Levy felt a moment of agony in his wrist, then numbness. The gun skittered away across the darkened hallway. Azziz was already on the attack, the handcuff chain between his fingers, swinging the free armlet as a weapon. He caught Levy high on the forehead, a glancing, insubstantial blow but sufficient to bring tears to his eyes, blinding him. He lashed out, hitting Azziz in the shoulder. The Arab staggered, momentarily off-balanced, but recovered almost at once. He was fit, from the sports regime at the Ecole Gagner. He swept the handcuff towards Levy again but it was a feint. As Levy tried to dodge, Azziz swung with his right hand, all the anger and frustration of the past days put into the punch. It caught Levy high on the side of the head and he grunted from the stinging pain that reverberated through his skull. He crashed back against the door, causing it to slam shut. The action shut off any immediate chance of escape for Azziz but put the hallway in greater darkness.
Through his blurred vision Levy saw Azziz staring wildly around, trying to locate the gun. As the boy moved, Levy lashed out with his foot. It was a desperate but lucky kick, thumping in just below the boy’s knee. Azziz screamed with pain, stumbling, but kept going towards the gun. Levy could see it now, right against the stairway which arced up around the wall of the high-domed vestibule. Azziz reached it seconds ahead of Levy, his fingers actually grasping the butt before the Israeli dived on him, seizing his wrist. Azziz tried to use the dangling handcuff
