When we circled around to where Marco’s car should have been standing, it was gone. It was my turn to slap my steering wheel. I drove around past the glass guard shack entrance to the Prime Minister’s residence and was surprised to see a car leave the “hotel” and turn the way we’d just come. I took the next street and made an abrupt U-turn to follow that car. It didn’t hold any official markings, but the car leaving the Prime Minister’s residence before five in the morning after what we’d seen Marco do was too suspicious.
The question was, was it the Prime Minister, and was he going to meet up with Marco? Was I about to get my hands on the drive and put a nail in the coffin of the pickpockets?
We followed at an extremely safe distance not wanting to risk detection. Light had just started to fill the sky, and any stars that had been visible, were no longer. “Did you ever hear anything about political leaders being involved with your boss?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. But I was low on the totem pole. I wouldn’t have known anything. Do you think the Prime Minister is somehow involved with the pickpocket gangs?”
“You know,” I said, continuing to follow the other car, “after being here four months and watching pickpockets get away with so much, I wondered why the government hadn’t cleaned up the city. Now I understand. The Prime Minister is sanctioning the pickpockets, and who knows what else, and filling his bank account at the same time. And this drive is going to help me prove it.”
He shook his head and sighed. “A man with that kind of power and connections, you are nuts if you think we can do anything about it. You should get on that phone of yours and call in reinforcements.”
The car pulled off the main road. I sped up. “No. The director would call me back and then spend too much time wringing her hands. I know her. She’s terrified to go after the Prime Minister.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice. “No, if he’s going to be stopped, I’m going to have to do it.”
Once we turned the corner, we saw the car’s red brake lights shine and then turn off as it pulled into a little inlet at Champ de Mars, the park butting up to the Eiffel Tower. It had pulled up next to none other than Marco’s car. We inched up the street, still a block away. Marco got out of his car and jumped into the Prime Minister’s. When he did, the lights turned on for a good two seconds, and I was able to confirm the identity of the Prime Minister and watch Marco put a box into Alden’s hands.
It also confirmed to me at that moment who Marco sold his digital information to. The Prime Minister himself. He was double dipping. He was probably receiving bribes from the various pickpocket gangs on the front end, and on the back end he was using the information he bought from Marco to do all kinds of nefarious activities that I could only guess at. The power of this one man as an underworld mob boss was incredible, and he was operating as the second most powerful man in France.
Chapter 21
I pulled binoculars out of my go bag and tried to lip read the conversation using the light from the park lights. Prime Minister Alden and Marco sat in the back seat of the big car. The driver sat attentive in the front seat. It was obvious that Alden and Marco were angry, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. Was Marco mad about getting a drive that was tracked? Did he think the Prime Minister could somehow stop that? He opened the box and shook it. Metal and color glinted in the sparse light. Flash drives.
“Did you give him the drives in a box?”
Kamal nodded. I handed him the binoculars.
“Is that the box?”
“I think so. Marco just got out of the car.”
“How many were in the box?”
“Twenty. There should be eighteen now that he threw out two.”
This was it. Not only was I about to get my hands on the drive, I was also about to expose the Prime Minister for the evil man he was and hopefully release Paris from the strangling grip of the pickpockets. This would be like taking candy from a baby. “Kamal, would you like to help?”
“With what?”
“I need someone to document the confession of the Prime Minister.” I smiled.
“I don’t know.”
“All you have to do is put this phone on Record, get a good picture of the Prime Minister and record his voice as I get him to confess. No biggie.”
“You mean I’d have to be in close proximity to Marco and the Prime Minister? Are you nuts? I’d like to live to be with Marni, thank you. I’m out.”
I nodded. Fair enough. “You’re just going to have to act as my lookout then. I’ll have my phone on Record as I walk up to the car. If you spot a problem, then call me.” I changed the phone’s ringtone to one of me yelling, “Get out! Get out!” I laughed.
Kamal still looked through the binoculars. “Uh, Marco just drove away.”
It was time. I checked the area and found my calm spot after saying a heartfelt prayer for courage to do what was necessary. Deep heat spread throughout my chest.
I slinked my way over to the car and grinned when I saw the Prime Minister had neglected to relock the doors after Marco had climbed out. Too bad everything couldn’t be so easy. I yanked the door open and flew into the car, my gun on the temple of the Prime Minister before he
