Lazare met Larchet for lunch at their regular venue in Little Italy to discuss the plan and get Bonnet and his men involved.
‘Bonnet called me this morning, Henri. He wants to meet up with you face to face before he’ll do any further business.’
‘What’s the matter with this guy? I paid in advance for his services and a pretty sum it was too. So, what’s the problem?’
‘It’s not main stream family business, Henri. There are serious fuckin’ risks continuing with it. You were part of my family business when we were growing up. You got out a long time ago Henri. There are no deep business ties anymore. Bonnet feels there’s going to be a lot of pain for little gain, continuing on this basis.’
‘Ten million bucks is not ‘little gain’ for fuck sake Peter!’
‘Bonnet co-operated in the first instance because of family connections in the past, to return a big favor my father’s family did for his father’s family twenty years ago.’
‘Yes, I know all about that business Peter. But all I need is his co-operation for a few more weeks to take care of the Lehman lady. The stock has started to move. I estimate another three, maybe four weeks max should do it.’
‘That could be three or four weeks too long, Henri.’
‘We’re only talking a kidnapping here, no real rough stuff Peter.’
‘Henri, I have already said he wants to meet with you first in France. This means you need to travel to Europe to talk to him, meet his associates and spend some time there, in his vineyard in the South of France for example. What I’m trying to say is he wants to get to know you better. Then he will be able to trust you a lot more and do more business together. You can’t do that from your desk here in the Big Apple. You have to go and eyeball him!’
‘I have to keep myself removed from the ‘dirty end’ of things, Peter. That’s why I pay you guys big bucks to take care of things.’
‘Henri, you’re already up to your tits in that end of things already. You were there when Johnson got done.’
‘That was an exception. It was operationally necessary at the time, Peter. I had no choice. Time was against me.’
‘It’s not goin’ to happen unless you travel to France, Henri. Believe me!’
‘Fuck this!’ exclaimed Lazare finally succumbing to Larchet’s persistence.
‘Where does he want to meet up?’
‘He owns a vineyard on the outskirts of Montpellier. He lives there alone with a team of support staff.’
‘And his wife?’
‘He’s not married!’
‘Oh?’
‘I’ll get Colgo to contact Bonnet and tell him to expect a visit from you shortly.’
57
An ex-military jeep approached a police check point about ten miles east of Algiers. Heavily armed police were lying in wait wearing heavy-duty flak jackets. No.9 was standing close to the check point with his henchman close beside him, both officially there as NATO observers. Police could make out two casually dressed dark skinned men in the jeep while it slowly approached the barrier, now about two hundred meters away.
‘Don’t forget, we need to take these rats alive, ‘shouted the police Lieutenant to his men, all members of the Algerian Gendarmarie Nationale.
The jeep slowed as if it was stopping behind a short line of cars already stationary at the checkpoint. It abruptly pulled out and accelerated towards the checkpoint. The man in the passenger seat leaned out the window and opened fire with an AK 47 before the vehicle crashed through the barrier.
Security personnel dived for cover in all directions under a hail of bullets.
A police Lieutenant, sitting behind the wheel of a police jeep, parked perpendicular to the road, revved the engine to its maximum limit and lurched the vehicle forward spinning the rear wheels wildly. The vehicle rammed side-on into the passing ex-military jeep. The jeep spun around on the road with the force of the impact, tilting-up on two wheels before landing back down on all four. The vehicle remained motionless for an instant before it spun around and accelerated away again.
Two police officers lay dead on the ground and three more were seriously injured. One of the jeep’s rear tyres was punctured, slowing its progress away from the checkpoint. The passenger in the jeep continued with bursts of gun fire through the shattered rear window. A police armored vehicle took off after the jeep and was soon on its tail. The police Lieutenant, standing at the checkpoint, saw the jeep approaching a group of shops and a gas station in the distance. Concerned about further loss of life, he radioed the pursuing armored police vehicle and gave instructions to open fire and take out the vehicle before it could travel much further. A burst of machine gun fire from the police vehicle took out the gunman at the rear of the jeep. The police took aim and punctured the remaining tyres with a second burst of gunfire.
‘We still have the driver, ‘shouted No. 9 looking through his binoculars.
The jeep came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road. The driver no longer able to make progress leapt from the vehicle brandishing an automatic revolver and ran back towards the checkpoint, firing indiscriminately. A police marksman aimed his gun and took out the gunman with one shot. It was clear this dude wasn’t going to be taken alive.
‘Fuck it! No Survivors,’ shouted No.9 to his subordinate. ‘Hadley will not be pleased.’
58
Colgo stood in front of a large mirror admiring his oversized Biceps and well-toned physique. He had just completed another vigorous workout in a room he had converted into a gym at his luxurious Battery Park City apartment in Manhattan. His narcissistic self-esteem was evident by the number of large framed photographs of himself in the company of many pretty ladies he had hanging on the walls. A large poster sized photograph of his dog hung next to his favorite picture of himself. He loved his pet dog while he detested people.
A ringing sound came from his intercom system. Colgo lifted the handset on the console and saw an image of a young woman on the small screen waiting outside the main door of the building.
‘Come on up baby.’
A black sexy escort girl with curled eyelashes, green nail polish and a pink short skirt made her way up to his apartment. Finding the front door open she walked straight in.
‘You’re not the regula’ girl,’ snapped Colgo.’
‘No. Karla couldn’t make it this evening.’
Colgo got angry. ‘Dis is the second time in a row she’s fuckin’ stood me up.’
He used prostitutes all the time. They fulfilled his sexual needs. He never had meaningful relationships with women. He lacked empathy which he blamed on his dysfunctional upbringing. An inherent personality disorder might be closer to the truth.
‘Am I not sexy enough for you honey?’
Attempting to jolly him along, she stood close to him rubbing her size 34 D breasts against his upper body.
Colgo took out a foil from his pocket and took a snort of Tina - crystal meth - to calm himself. He handed the foil to the girl who gladly accepted.
‘What’s your name babe?
‘Ashley’
He produced a small glass bottle containing a clear liquid - Easy Lay - GHB’.
‘Here! Take a slug. It’s Vodka.’
Ashley took the bottle and knocked back the contents in one gulp.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the bedroom.
Stepping out of her tiny pink skirt and slipping off her top, she got on top of Colgo and started a lengthy period of foreplay. The combo of drugs now starting to work on her brain, lowering all inhibitions while making her sexually aroused.
Colgo massaged her perfectly shaped breasts. Seeing one was pierced with a gold nipple ring, he slipped his finger through the band and roughly pulled her closer. She squealed with pain but did not retreat. She was too far gone. Everything was hypersensitive; the cocktail of drugs propelling them both towards an explosive orgasm.
As soon as he was finished with Ashley, he paid her two hundred bucks, w
hich he threw on the bed in front of her.
‘Tell Karla she’d better show up next time. You hear me
Bitch.’
‘Yeah! I hear yah, Colgo,’ replied Ashley while she quickly picked up the money, put her clothes back on and escaped out the front door.
Colgo showered, dressed and went to fix himself a glass of Bourbon from his fully stocked cocktail bar over-looking half of Manhattan. He took a deep slug before fetching his phone and deciding it was time to introduce himself to Jacques Bonnet. Still high on meths, he keyed-in Bonnet’s number before sitting down on a leather settee.
‘Bonnet? The name is Colgo. I work for Henri Lazare here in NYC.’
‘Oui! Ah, ok Colgo, Henri mentioned you to me when we spoke together last time. I can’t remember why!’
Colgo ignored the put down. ‘I reckoned yah should know as early as possible. I‘ve been promoted by Lazare.’
‘Promoted? Promoted to what?’ questioned Bonnet in a sneering condescending tone.
‘I’m now responsible for all business dealin’s in Europe.’
‘Really? I need confirmation from Henri on your new appointment. I only deal with the principals, not their messenger boys.’
‘Well yah better get used real fast to workin’ with me. And what’s more, my boss will be visiting yah shortly in your place to talk abou’ more business that needs to get done!’
‘Well! I’ll just wait and see what unfolds when I speak to the real boss, eh Colgo?
‘I am the Boss,’ insisted the American which came across extremely feeble.
‘I believe you Colgo ha, ha, ha,’ laughed Bonnet scornfully.
‘We’ll see who laughs last, Bonnet,’ shot back the muscleman in an aggressive tone before abruptly ending the call.
‘What a DUMB MOTHAFUCKA,’ screamed Colgo before throwing his mobile phone onto the sofa beside him.
59
The couple escaped from the cottage for an evening stroll along the shoreline to relieve the stress of being cooped up in their ‘safe house’. It had turned quite chilly when the sun went down, a sharp on-shore breeze biting into them. Nicole was wearing a short sleeve blouse. Parker noticed goose bumps on her arms and on her ample cleavage. He lowered his gaze and could see the impression of her hardened nipples pressing through her soft silk blouse as she huddled close to him in the cool icy breeze.
Parker manfully pulled his pullover up over his head and handed it to her. ‘Here take this.’
‘Merci,’ replied Nicole gratefully, wrapping the garment around her shoulders.
‘Let’s go to the village and have a quiet drink in the Horse & Hound and properly warm ourselves up.’
Soon they were sitting on small stools sipping hot whiskeys beside a large glowing log fire.
‘This really hits the spot, Harry!’
It had been a long lazy day in Grasmere. He felt it was beginning to feel more like home the longer they spent time together there.
‘Where does the name ‘Grasmere Cottage’ come from Harry?’
‘My ancestors came from Hertfordshire. They had a large country estate there called Grasmere Hall.
‘Were you the first Doctor in your family?’
‘‘No. My Grandfather was a Doctor, a GP. He had a practice in the local village. The profession skipped a generation until I came along.’
She casually glanced across the room and noticed a strange looking character staring at her. She had noticed him a few minutes earlier looking in her direction.
‘Harry. Don’t look now but there’s a rather strange looking man who keeps staring at me.’
Parker slowly glanced around and saw a man standing close to the bar.
He laughed and leaned across to whisper into Nicole’s ear, ‘Ah! That’s old Mr. Spencer. He lives in the adjoining estate next to Grasmere Cottage. We used to call him old scarecrow when we were kids. He used to wear a black coat and a broad brimmed hat when he was out walking in his orchard. We would hide in the bushes and wait for him to pass. Then we’d sneak out and rob half his apples.
‘I thought he might be someone sent to spy on us.’
‘No! You can relax. He knows me well enough and most likely is wondering who in heavens you might be. He’s probably trying to figure out if you’re my new girlfriend.’
Before she could say anything further, Parker’s mobile phone sounded.
‘Excuse me my dear, it’s Raoul.’
‘Harry! Where are you? ‘Asked Durand excitedly.
‘We’re sitting beside a cozy fire in a village pub having a few hot toddies, contemplating what our next move might be.’
‘I might be able to help you with that. I’ve just got a call from a certain law firm in New Jersey where Dr. Philips used live.’
‘Go on,’
‘Well you’ll never believe what’s happened.
‘Try me.’
‘Philips lodged a sealed document with his lawyers shortly after Karl’s death, a kind of insurance policy I guess, with specific written instructions. The document was to be sent unopened to one Ms. Nicole Lehman in the event of his sudden death.’
Nicole looked at Parker’s expression and wondered what was going on.
He stood up and walked towards the front door like somebody in a trance. Holding the mobile phone to his ear he gesturing to her with his free hand to follow him outside.
‘Where’s the document now?’
‘It was sent to the law firm’s European Head Quarters in Paris. I contacted them there this afternoon and they are insisting it must be Nicole in person who collects and signs for the document. Dr. Philips was emphatic on this condition.’
‘I can understand his reason for that. However, it will be bloody difficult to get her to Paris, almost impossible. Every police force in Europe is on the lookout for her as you well know. Check if they have an office in London. I can drive her there if need be.’
‘I’ll get back to you first thing in the morning, Harry. Au revoir for now.’
Parker quickly relayed the details to Nicole before going back inside. Only a handful of locals sat around at small tables minding their own business. Nonetheless, the pair didn’t want to attract any attention.
Nicole remained quiet and stared into the fire vacantly. Parker thought she looked half relieved but also half afraid.
‘Don’t worry my dear. We’ll wait until Raoul’s call tomorrow morning before making any plans.’
‘What if they don’t have a UK office Harry?’
‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I’m quite excited about what might be inside Philips document.’
The pair left the pub shortly afterwards and walked briskly back to the Cottage.’
Nicole decided to retire for the night. She turned to Harry in the hallway and gave him a quick hug.
‘I’m whacked. I must go to bed,’ she yawned with an apologetic tone. ‘I enjoyed your company this evening.’
‘The pleasure was all mine.’
‘The password might be in Dr. Philips document,’ suggested Nicole as she started to ascend the stairs.
‘Let’s hope so. Good night and sleep tight,’ replied Parker softly.
Nicole soon undressed and slid in between the sheets and quickly fell asleep.
It was some time later when she was awakened by someone entering her room. She looked up and saw the naked figure of a man facing her and closing the door behind him. The room was dark, but she could see by the dim light of the radio clock it was Harry. He said nothing while he gently pulled the covers away from her, exposing her beautiful bare breasts and her white silk underwear. He leaned over her and caressed her breasts before gently kissing her nipples. He then lay down on top of her, his breath hot against her neck. He passionately kissed her, thrusting his tongue deep inside her mouth. Nicole, feeling his skin against hers, kissed him back with more fervor than ever before. Her hands running slowly up and down his broad back, holding his gorgeous male body close
to hers, she slowly turned and gazed into his deep blue eyes. But as she did, the color of his eyes mysteriously started to change. No longer were they blue. They were turning to a definite shade of navy, then dark brown.
‘Who are you?’ cried Nicole starting to become frightened.
The man remained silent. Slowly his face became clear.
‘How can this be? It’s you, KARL!’ she yelled thrashing around the bed reaching for the light switch. The sudden brightly lit room made her eyes squint. Her heart was pounding as she sat up and realized she had been dreaming.
60
Meyer returned to Paris after preliminary investigations were completed in VilleFranche. He was in de Bruin’s office chasing up the whereabouts of Nicole Lehman and brainstorming latest developments in the case.
‘OK, Victor what have we got?’
‘We have the strange murder in Zurich of Prof Lehman, a widow who is on the run suspected of her husband’s murder and now the even more bizarre death in the South of France of his business partner, Dr. Philips.’
‘Nicole Lehman? She couldn’t realistically have had anything to do with Philips death, eh Victor?’
‘We don’t know yet for sure Dieter if Philip’s death was murder. Forensics are still working on it. On the face of it, it could have been an accident. However, it looks extremely suspicious to me.’
‘We need to get Raoul Durand in here as soon as possible and interrogate him about what he knows about Lehman’s death. There are many things that simply don’t add up. Going on what Durand already told me about this married couple, my gut feeling is this woman had nothing to do with her husband’s murder either, despite the incriminating evidence to the contrary. I mean he was a world-renowned figure in the medical profession and a controversial character as well. He didn’t go along with a lot of what the mandarins and opinion makers in the profession handed down. He had enemies. The medical establishment were wary of him. He was a thorn in their side being quite outspoken about how certain diseases should be handled.’
The Karl Lehman Affair Page 17