by Oliver Tidy
She noticed the carrier bag with Sansom’s recent purchase still in it on the chair where he’d left it. Curiosity getting the better of her, she peeked inside.
‘Hoped that I might talk you into using it on me later,’ said Sansom, from the doorway behind her. Caught red-handed, she removed the box from the bag and laughed as she found she was holding a home-hairdresser electric hair-clipper set.
*
They were easy with each other as they ate their meal, more like a couple on their summer holidays than a pair of strangers thrown together to find and kill a man. They talked about their lives, their politics and their cultures.
It was after Eda had stifled her fifth yawn that Sansom looked her in the eye and told her in earnest to go to bed. Mellowed and comfortable with the food, the wine and the company, she smiled at him for his perception and gratefully did as she was told.
It was not so late for Sansom, who had at least had some sleep in the previous twenty-four hours. Clearing away the dinner things, he doused the lights and went outside to sit on the veranda.
A shimmering silver carpet rolled out on top of the black water to the full moon in a cloudless sky. Cicadas fidgeted in the nearby undergrowth and a warm breeze brought to him the scent and whisperings of the sea. Under the influences of such an idyllic setting, finally alone with his thoughts, he deliberated on the developments of the day and wondered how far this would go. How it would end.
***
17
When Eda surfaced in the morning she stumbled, still half stupid with sleep, into the kitchen area to be confronted by the back of a man she didn’t recognise. She was instantly brought to her senses. As he turned to the sound of her approach, she breathed a sigh of relief, realising that the man was Sansom.
Clearly impatient to alter his appearance, he had attempted to cut his hair himself. Intrigued by his efforts, pulling her robe about her, she approached for a closer inspection, which started her laughing. While the front and top were not too shabby, the sides and rear presented missed clumps and the odd patch where he had obviously been overzealous. There was some dried blood behind one ear. He waited for her verdict.
‘Why didn’t you wait for me?
He shrugged. ‘You were sleeping. I was up with nothing to do.’
She shook her head at him and laughed.
They sat on the veranda enjoying proper coffee and the view across the Aegean. In three hours they were to collect Tallis from his hotel. That gave them time, they agreed, for her to tidy up his hair and then for them both to swim. They could pick up breakfast on the way.
*
Tallis was waiting for them in the shade of the hotel’s awning, sporting a more conservative shirt than the previous day. He strongly approved of Sansom’s new look, claiming that even he probably wouldn’t have recognised him minus his most distinguishing feature.
Tallis handed a local newspaper to Eda, asking her to see if anything had been reported in it regarding Sansom’s incident at the hotel the previous evening. She found nothing, although they all agreed that even if it had been reported it probably would have been too late to have made that morning’s edition.
Before leaving the commercial centre of town, they had a purchase to make – a charger for the phone that Sansom had lifted from the dead man. Sansom reasoned that there was a possibility that the man he had spoken to before would try to contact him again, may already have done so. With a lifeless phone they would have no way of knowing and be cutting off an avenue of further communication, an option.
At the shopping area, Tallis and Eda went in search of what they needed while Sansom reluctantly agreed to wait in the car. In half an hour they were back. Tallis had bought himself a pair of binoculars and Eda had two chargers, one for the car and one for the villa.
Eda got them back on the Akyarlar road. As they drove, they gave voice to their thoughts and opinions. Sansom plugged the phone charger into the car’s cigarette lighter.
The summers in Bodrum were constantly scorching – a large part of their appeal, Eda explained. This summer was no different: stifling late morning and midday heat would only ease off after mid-afternoon to be somewhere around bearable in the sun’s uninterrupted glare by early evening. However, the Bodrum peninsula was also blessed with an almost constant breeze, which did something to alleviate the otherwise oppressive temperatures. Despite this cheering fact, all were grateful for the efficient air conditioning system of the car.
*
By the time they arrived at the elevated ground that overlooked the sea-level settlement of Akyarlar it was midday. The three had mixed opinions on the wisdom of a visit. However, Sansom was adamant that he wanted to know whether Botha’s yacht had arrived in the bay. As they stood by the roadside scanning the sea below, Tallis announced that he could see nothing resembling what they were looking for. Sansom took the binoculars and, after scouring the panorama, agreed. With nothing else to do there, they decided to head back to the villa.
Back in the comfort of the car, Sansom checked the charging phone. No blinking messages showed on the screen.
‘Let me see,’ said Eda, holding out her hand. He passed it across to her. Bestowing a pitying look upon the soldier, she said, ‘It might help if we turn it on.’
It was easily done. No password was required. She waited a moment while the phone sought out the satellite that would connect it to its network. The full allocation of signal bars was raised on the screen and then the handset beeped, announcing the arrival of a voicemail message.
Sansom indicated that Eda should deal with it. She played the message on the loudspeaker. Tallis leaned forward from the back seat. The strongly-accented South African voice of the man that Sansom had crossed swords with three days previously came on the line. ‘This is a message for the unknown assassin. My employer is interested in meeting with you. You appear to be harbouring an ill-founded grudge against him and he would like the opportunity of discussing it with you as he believes that there must be some misunderstanding that can be cleared up. Call me back on this number if this interests you.’
The message ended. They played it twice more. Eda checked to find that the caller had phoned from an unprotected number and wrote it down. She also noted that the message was thirty-six hours old.
‘Well,’ said Tallis, ‘that’s interesting. Given them time to sweat on it for a bit as well. What do you think?’
‘I think that it’s obviously going to be a trap,’ said Eda. ‘I know these people. Don’t even consider meeting them.’
‘I think I have them worried,’ said Sansom. ‘I think that’s a good thing. I also think that I have to take them up on their offer. What alternative do I have if we want the truth?’
‘I think you’re both right,’ said Tallis ‘and I think that we have to be very careful indeed.’
*
They arrived back at the villa a little over an hour later. Eda was still quietly simmering that the men would even consider a meeting with Botha or his people but chose, in the face of their stupidity, to keep her mouth shut for the moment.
Sitting around the table with some cold drinks, Sansom and Tallis discussed the phone message.
‘Of course,’ said Tallis, ‘the man is not to be trusted. If you do meet him, and I can see how useful that could be, then it would have to be in a very public place. But of course there’s no guarantee that he wouldn’t just set a trap for you and have you picked up by the police. That would be you out of the way.’
Sansom considered this for a moment. ‘There’s a good chance that he doesn’t know why I’m after him,’ he said. ‘We could use that to our advantage.’
‘How do you mean?
‘If he doesn’t know why I’m making all this effort to make his life a misery, he’s bound to be interested in finding out. Wouldn’t you be?’
‘Yes,’ said the policeman, ‘but if I thought you were responsible for the death of three men that worked for me, I might be more inclined to ha
ve you neutralised effectively before I started asking questions.’
‘What about agreeing to talk to him on the phone?’ said Eda, breaking her silence. ‘Why is it essential for you to meet him?’ The men looked at each other.
‘Worth a try,’ said the policeman.
‘You’re forgetting one thing,’ said Sansom. ‘The reason that I’m here. I want to get close to him. I want to have him to myself so that I can ask him some questions and be sure of getting some truthful answers.’
‘You can never be sure of that,’ said Tallis.
‘You can with the right leverage.’
‘What sort of leverage?’ said the policeman.
‘The sort of leverage that he deals in. It’s the only thing he’ll understand.’ Sansom stood up and walked away from the table. He pushed through the screen door to sit on the veranda, leaving Eda and Tallis alone to exchange concerned looks.
‘What do you think he means by that?’ said Tallis.
‘I don’t know,’ she said.
‘What if I were to meet him?’ said Tallis.
‘Who? Botha? Are you crazy?’
‘I’m deadly serious. He doesn’t know me. He can have no grudge against me. I have my police rank to support me.’
‘A lot of good that will do,’ she said. ‘You said yourself that you have no jurisdiction here.’
‘I know that and you know that but Botha won’t.’
She looked at him, considering. ‘Why would you meet him? Why would you put yourself in that position?’
‘Because I want the truth about what happened to my daughter. I want to know how Bishop is involved and I know that he bloody well is. I want answers because it’s all I care about. Besides, if you accept that Bishop has sent Acer to assassinate Botha there must be some history between them, some very unpleasant history. And when Botha finds out that Acer is here under the patronage of Bishop he may be encouraged to be far more forthcoming with information, don’t you agree?’
Reluctantly, she did. ‘What about your justice?’
He smiled at her. ‘Oh, I want that too, eventually.’
‘What makes you think that he’d even meet you, talk to you, be honest with you?’
‘You’d be surprised, perhaps,’ he said. ‘I’ve interviewed people who can’t wait to tell you all about their crimes. Anyway, what would he have to fear from telling me the truth about anything that implicated him in a crime? It’s not like I’d be able to prove anything, not like I can be a physical threat to him. Look at me.’
‘But again, how would you get him to meet you?’
‘Because he would think that he was going to be meeting our friend out there,’ he nodded towards the window, beyond which Sansom could be seen staring fixedly at a point far out at sea.
*
‘It’s a mad idea,’ said Sansom, over lunch. ‘It’s far too risky. What would stop him from just getting up, walking away? Or worse?’
‘For one, we don’t have many options. Don’t think what if he doesn’t play ball, think what if he does? You’re wanted the length and breadth of Turkey so if you get caught in a trap – let’s say he has police waiting to pick you up – then where would you be? Finished, that’s where.
‘There’s nothing I can be arrested for. I’ve simply been asked to meet someone as a favour to a fellow I met in a bar. And if we arrange the meeting place for somewhere nice and public, then he can’t exactly drag me off a gunpoint, can he?’
Sansom’s silence indicated to the other two that his objection was weakening. ‘Besides,’ said Tallis, ‘while I might not have any official standing in this country, I am still a Detective Inspector with my credentials. I should think that it would come as enough of a, let’s say, surprise for our Mr Botha to find himself sitting across from a member of the British police force investigating murder.
‘And lastly, how long do you think you could keep your cool sitting across from the man you blame for the ruination of your world? Give me a chance to have a go at him first, my way. If it doesn’t work out then you can try it yours.’
Sansom considered for a long moment, staring at his confederate, before slowly nodding his head. ‘You are a persuasive man, Mr Tallis,’ he smiled. ‘Let’s hope you can be just as effective with Botha.’
*
They finished their lunch in better spirits, discussing what had been agreed and using Eda’s knowledge of Bodrum to explore ideas of places where they could arrange a meeting with Botha.
After the meal had been cleared away, it was agreed that there was no point in delaying returning the phone call. While the other two looked on, Sansom dialled the number. It was answered on the fifth ring. Sansom recognised the voice of the man who had left the message, the same man that he’d had the angry exchange of words with a few days before.
‘Who am I talking to?’
‘The man who you need to be talking to,’ answered the voice. ‘Who are you?’
‘We’ve spoken before,’ said Sansom. ‘Now I want to speak to Botha.’
‘That’s not possible. He is unavailable.’
‘I’ll call back at six. Make sure he’s available then. I won’t call again after that.’ He terminated the connection. The other two stared at him, stunned.
‘Was that wise?’ said Tallis.
‘Can’t let them mess you around. You start talking to the monkey, you’ll never get the respect of the organ grinder.’
‘An interesting perspective,’ said Tallis, a hint of anxiety in his voice. ‘And what if he isn’t available at six?’
‘He’ll be available. There’s nowhere that he can’t be found in four hours even if they’ve made land somewhere.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ said Tallis. ‘Calling people’s bluff is a game fraught with danger.’ Sansom shrugged. He stood up, looking to release some of his pent up energy. ‘Anyway,’ said Tallis, trying to inject some levity into the atmosphere, ‘at least we know what you’re not cut out for.’
‘What’s that?’ said Sansom.
‘Hostage negotiation.’
Nobody laughed.
Sansom announced that, with time to kill, he’d be in the Aegean if they needed him. Eda decided to join him. Tallis, still suffering from the previous day’s exertions and feeling the soporific effects of the meal he’d recently consumed, wondered if he might be able to use the time to take a nap.
Eda showed him to a spare bedroom and settled him in. Alone together for a moment, he spoke to her in earnest: ‘Will you try to talk some sense into him, please? He’ll listen to you, I’m sure of it. Losing control is not going to help us in dealing with these people.’
She gave him an understanding look. ‘I’ll try.’
She closed the door, leaving him to rest, and took a deep breath at the prospect of the afternoon with Sansom.
The soldier was sitting on the veranda in the seat that he seemed to favour. Eda sat down next to him. ‘You know he’s only trying to help, to keep you from doing something that’s going to get you killed or arrested?’
‘I know,’ he said, his voice softer. ‘He seems a good man. Seems like he knows what he’s talking about.’
‘Then listen to him, work with him. We’re all on the same side and there’s only the three of us.’
He nodded, staring out to the horizon. Sitting next to him like that, she felt a wave of affection and warmth for him. Before she really knew what she was doing, she had laid her hand on his. He didn’t pull away. He turned to her, locked his intense eyes on hers and something was exchanged between them. He brought his other hand over to rest on hers and left it there for a moment before giving her a light squeeze and smiling. Her insides seemed to liquefy and she felt a flush of something warm and pleasurable flood her body.
‘How about that swim?’ he said.
Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded. He stood. Still holding her hand, he hauled her up so that they were facing each other, a foot separating them.
He stepped back then, releasing his hold, aware that he was crowding her, unaware that what she craved at that moment was contact, for him to take hold of her and pull her against him, not let go.
***
18
They swam together for a while, revelling in the environment, enjoying sharing the experience. When Eda had had enough, Sansom pushed out into deeper waters away from most other bathers and punished himself with a lengthy session of toing and froing.
When he finally emerged from the sea his limbs and lungs ached from the exertion. His mind was clearer and he felt relaxed and invigorated. He found Eda sitting in the shade on the villa’s terrace.
‘You push yourself hard,’ she said.
‘Losing myself in exercise helps me to think.’
‘And was it a productive thinking session?’
He smiled broadly at her. ‘Oh yes. Any of that coffee left?’
She raised her eyebrows, sighed theatrically and stood. ‘Sit down. I’ll get you a cup.’
‘I’ve noticed that you’re putting some weight back on,’ she said, when she returned.
He laughed. ‘Me too. Another reason for not getting lazy.’
A comfortable silence stretched out between them before Eda said, ‘Can I ask you what it was like living alone, being marooned on that island for that long? Do you mind me asking?’
Something dark briefly touched his features and she feared that she had spoilt the moment. He took a stabilising breath and, exhaling deeply, said, ‘I don’t mind you asking. Initially, it was truly awful, like living some horrific nightmare day after day and every night. Only it wasn’t some horrible dark fantasy; it was real. The memories of the murders were never far from my thoughts. The frustration and anger I felt for being so useless through it all just made things worse. And with no one to talk to about it, to share it all with,’ he paused, ‘I felt sometimes like I was going to go mad – literally crazy.
‘In the early days, I didn’t care whether I was going to live or not. But then I realised that I desperately wanted to survive. I knew that if I could then I would find whoever was responsible and bring them to account. I used that as a motivating force to get me through it.