Eight

by James R. Vance

  Bobo lifted up his shirt, revealing the makeshift gun that Petra had given him earlier. He withdrew it from the waistband of his jeans and passed it to her. “Il ne marche pas.”

  Petra took it from him. Little wonder that it was not in working order, she thought. The trigger mechanism was jammed. It looked as though he had taken it apart and re-assembled it incorrectly. “Laissez avec moi…je regarde plus tard…oui?”

  “D'accord.” Bobo smiled, happy to leave it with her. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “You bloody little star,” Petra whispered to herself.

  “What was all that about?” Harcourt asked.

  Petra showed her the device. “This is what I exchanged for the Sig Sauer guns that Bobo had taken from the filtration housing. We've got ourselves a gun.”

  “Is it loaded?”

  Petra grinned. “Watch this.” She fetched her toiletry bag and took out her electric toothbrush, unscrewed the end piece and slid out six miniature bullets. She dismantled the gun, re-assembled it correctly and inserted one bullet into the slim chamber. “It is now.” She pointed it towards the door. “This is our passport out of here.”

  She leaned over, slipped the gun under one of the towels and patted Massey's good arm. “You're going to be okay. Bobo has given us a lifeline.” She walked towards the door and turned to face the two detectives. “Now I just need Alexis to return my mobile.”

  Massey murmured. “If you need a phone, they missed mine. It's in the inside pocket of my jacket. Remove it carefully, please. It's near the bullet hole.”

  Harcourt reached over and gently lifted one side of his leather jacket. He grimaced and caught his breath as she eased out the phone.

  “There's only one problem,” Petra said. “I don't know Rob's number. I normally just use my contact list. I suppose that we could simply call the police.”

  “I don't think that's advisable,” Harcourt said. “We formed the impression that Dumas has a pretty friendly relationship with the local gendarmerie.”

  “I'll give Alexis ten minutes. If he doesn't show by then, we'll have to overpower the guy outside and take them by surprise.”

  Harcourt had reservations. “With a one bullet toy gun?”

  “He's carrying an assault rifle and probably a handgun. If we can entice him inside, I can threaten him with my toy gun, as you describe it, disarm him and we'll be armed with some serious firepower.”

  “Then what?”

  “We go in, guns blazing if necessary, but we should be able to catch them off their guard. They won't be expecting an attack from this end of the building…not with a security guy in situ here.” She glanced at her watch. “I have an idea. It'll be dark soon. When we spent the afternoon here for our swim, I noticed that the electricity circuit board for the cabin is on the wall at the end of this corridor. If you cut the electrics, I could be at the entrance to the lounge in seconds without them seeing me. Switch the lights back on and I'll be there holding them at gunpoint.”

  Harcourt had more concerns. “Surely there'll be lights from outside.”

  Petra shook her head. “By the time they adjust to the change in light, I'll be there amongst them. It'll be like a great blink of the eye. One minute, complete blackness…seconds later I'll be stood before them with the assault rifle.”

  “You're mad,” Harcourt said, shaking her head in despair.

  Massey forced an agonised smile. “She'll never change. She's a deadly killer. Maybe that's what we need at this moment. Let's face it, we've nothing to lose.”

  “How about our lives?” Harcourt asked.

  “If we do nothing, we lose those anyway,” Petra replied. “I don't mind putting myself in the firing line. From what I've seen so far, they're bloody amateurs. All you have to do is flick a power switch off and on.”

  “If they're amateurs, why are we in this mess?” Harcourt argued.

  Petra swung round to confront her. “If you'd have covered the guards outside the library as arranged, we would have been in control still.”

  “So, it's all my fault?”

  “Ladies, please,” croaked Massey. “What's happened has gone. Forget it. I say, give it a try…better than waiting here to be shot.”

  8888

  “They refuse to negotiate,” Alexis faced Dumas. “They want us to release the hostages.” He slipped Petra's phone into his pocket.

  Dumas kicked out at a chair. He was in a foul temper. “Merde! Amenez une des femmes. Je montre qui commande ici.”

  “Attendez.” Alexis had other ideas. “Je parlerai avec la jeune femme. Peut-être elle changera d'avis.” He was hinting that Petra might be able to persuade them to change their minds.

  He walked down the corridor to the sauna. Petra looked up as he entered. Already, she knew from her training experience that any negotiation was a non-starter. The expression on his face merely confirmed this fact.

  He passed her the mobile. “Here, you try. Unsurprisingly, your contact refused point-blank.”

  “I told you. You have to give yourselves up or suffer the consequences. You're outnumbered. It's suicidal.”

  “Just try,” Alexis pleaded. “Between us, we need to find a solution. Test your powers of persuasion.”

  “Are you happy to see us all die for the sake of Dumas's pride?” Petra stood before him and looked him in the eyes, the windows to his soul. It's now or never Alexis, she thought. “There is another way,” she said quietly. “Help us and help yourself at the same time.”

  “Help you? If Dumas doesn't kill me first, surely you are aware that the security forces will lock me up and throw away the key.”

  “Alexis, I can help you. An arrangement is possible. I can ask them to do a deal for you.”

  Massey coughed. “I can vouch for that, young man. She should be serving life for murder and look at her now.”

  Alexis looked puzzled. “I don't understand.”

  “It's a long story and we don't have the bloody time.” Petra's impatience was growing. “Are you with us or not?”

  “What do you have in mind?” he asked. He was intrigued to see her wrestling with her situation.

  Petra explained her original plan, but omitted to mention her makeshift gun, just in case he was still uncertain. “What d'you reckon?”

  “I can't see it working without my help. I doubt that you will be able to overpower the guard. He'll turn his gun on you all. You need me to lure him in here without him suspecting anything. He'll trust me.”

  Harcourt needed reassurance. “But can we trust you?”

  “Swear on the honour of the Romanovs, Alexis,” Petra said.

  Alexis smiled. “You believe her?”

  “If we make it out of here alive, I'll prove it. I have the evidence and that's another reason why you should be let off lightly.”

  “What on earth are you two prattling on about?” Massey whispered. “Are you going to sort out the guard or not?”

  Petra held up her hand. “Let me call Rob first. I don't want to jeopardise any plans that are in place.”

  Petra explained their situation. She learned that the main task force was in the villa processing all the guests. Two squads were systematically searching the grounds of the property for any of Dumas's security team still unaccounted. Rob asked her to hold her action until he could position some of the team around the cabin under cover of darkness. They would storm the main entrance as soon as they were able to cut the electricity. There was no need for her group to be involved apart from overpowering the guard and accessing the circuit board. He would call her when everyone was in place. She asked that a medic be on hand for D.C.I. Massey after they had secured the cabin.

  “Be quick,” Petra urged, “or Dumas will become suspicious. There's a coloured youth with him. Please make sure he doesn't get hurt.”

  “Since when have you had a soft spot for the enemy?” Rob asked, bemused by her demand.

  “Just look out for him, Rob…a small favour for me.�
��

  “Give me two or three minutes…no more.”

  Petra changed her phone to vibrate. The brief wait seemed like an eternity. They sat in the sauna in silence. Despite no ring tone, she still jumped when the call finally came. Rob reported that they were in position.

  Petra knelt by Massey. “Don't think you're getting out of this without playing your part,” she whispered, smiling. “Alexis will use your condition as a pretext to bring in the guard. When they enter, I want you to moan as though you're in great pain.”

  “Damn you, I am in great pain,” Massey replied, wearily.

  “Well you're half-way there, aren't you?” Petra grinned and touched his good arm. “You'll be in safe hands within a few minutes. Hang on in there.” She slipped the makeshift gun from under the towel and nodded her readiness to Alexis.

  He opened the door, spoke to the guard and brought him into the room. Massey started to groan loudly.

  Alexis sought the guard's opinion on transferring Massey to the lounge area. “Monsieur Dumas a commandé un médecin. Il faut enlever et porter au salon. Qu'est-ce que pensez-vous?”

  The guard leant over the prostrate detective. Massey emitted an elongated moan.

  Petra placed her gun against the guard's cheekbone. He froze, unsure if it was the genuine article.

  “Laissez tombez le fusil,” said Alexis. He relieved him of the assault rifle and forced him to the floor.

  Petra took his handgun and used the belt from his trousers to bind his wrists behind him. She passed the makeshift gun to Harcourt. “If he moves, pull that trigger and put a bullet through his head.”

  Harcourt winced, partly at the thought but mostly because of Petra's cold-blooded attitude. Massey lay on the bench reflecting on their previous encounters. Then, the consensus was that Petra Rebovka and her sister, Klara, had no capacity to be serial killers. How wrong they were, he thought. This young woman's a natural killing machine.

  Alexis checked the corridor. Petra stood ready by the electricity circuit board. She cut the power. Raised voices from the lounge area punctuated the immediate silence. Moments later, the assault team smashed in the main door and burst through the opening. Petra threw the switch to the ‘on’ position and raced down the corridor, wielding the guard's handgun. There were no fatalities. Within seconds, everyone was held at gunpoint, including the other security guard. The only damage was to the door. Dumas looked stunned.

  Rob entered the salon, smiling. “Fait accompli.” He put his arm around Petra's shoulder. “Pretty good for a novice,” he remarked. Two medics arrived.

  “Right, let's get this show on the road,” Rob said. “Where's the invalid.”

  Petra pointed down the corridor. “There's also a trussed up security guard in there.”

  Rob despatched one of the team to collect him. “Cuff them all and take them to the chopper. It should be back by now.”

  Petra suddenly realised that Alexis was nowhere in sight. He must be in the sauna, she thought. He stood next to me when I cut the electrics. Where was he when I switched them on? She walked down to the sauna…no sign of Alexis. In the confusion, he had somehow disappeared. The guard was led away. The medics were attending to Massey. Harcourt was standing by his side. The assault rifle that Alexis had taken from the guard lay on the ground below the circuit board. Petra looked along the corridor. It led to the walkway. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun quickly.

  It was Rob. “You look puzzled. What's the problem?”

  “Alexis has disappeared. He must have legged it towards the walkway. There's no other way out.”

  “Well, he won't get far,” replied Rob. “The villa, the helipad and the surrounding area are now completely secured.”

  Petra pointed out the assault rifle. “He's unarmed. He took it from the guard, but has left it here.”

  Following a swift search of the grounds by two of his team, Rob informed her that Alexis had melted away. The processing of the guests and staff continued late into the evening. The Security Forces cordoned off the property, classing it a crime scene. An armed detachment of the G.I.G.N. patrolled the restricted area throughout the night.

  Paramedics rushed Massey to Hospital Sainte-Marguerite on Avenue Viton. Harcourt stayed on at the villa with Petra until quite late. They departed following a de-brief with some of the agents whom they had met during the original briefing session at Le Chateau des Fleurs. Leaving the security teams to continue the inevitable complex investigation of Dumas and his associates, they returned to the port and their respective hotels.

  With Massey hospitalised for an unspecified period, Harcourt returned the Peugeot to Hertz Rental at Marseille airport before embarking on a flight to the U.K. Petra returned to Limoges via Lyon. She had two issues to resolve: the handover of the car and the apartment to Jean-Marie plus a visit to La Bastide to see Katherine. The disappearance of Alexis was still a mystery. Maybe his grandmother had the answer.

  Part Five Revelations

  Katherine opened the door to the apartment. “Petra, how lovely to see you. I thought that perhaps you had returned to England.”

  “Soon, I hope.”

  “Come in. Sit with me in the kitchen. I'll make some tea.” She shuffled down the hallway with the help of her silver-topped cane.

  Petra followed her into an ultra modern kitchen, consisting mostly of stainless steel units and black marble work surfaces. Obviously fitted by experts, it appeared to contain the latest gadgets and appliances. She sat on a tubular metal chair at a circular glass-topped table and looked about her.

  Katherine reacted to Petra's apparent admiration of the room. “Previously the kitchen was rather outmoded,” she explained. “It was sixties style…all pine and Formica. Alexis arranged a re-fit as a present for my last birthday. I find that it is so much easier to clean and keep tidy. It's just a shame that he doesn't spend enough time here to appreciate it.”

  “Where is Alexis, now?” Petra asked, determined to find answers to justify her visit.

  “I thought that he was spending time with you, my dear, before you returned home.”

  “I was with him in Marseille until yesterday, when he suddenly left without saying goodbye.”

  “Marseille? How nice.” His grandmother poured boiling water into a willow-patterned teapot.

  “C'mon, Katherine,” said Petra, certain that she was hiding something. “You must know more than you care to admit about Alexis's secret life. Where is he really?”

  The old woman reached into a wall cabinet to select two porcelain beakers. “Perhaps he has returned to our Mother country.”

  “To Russia? No way! We were at Dumas's villa. Security forces surrounded it. It was impossible for him to leave without being noticed.”

  “Really? Maybe he found an alternative exit.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don't know. I have never been there. I'm just guessing.”

  Petra sensed even more that the old woman was holding back, but realised that she was unlikely to divulge the exact whereabouts of her precious grandson. However, there's no harm in trying, she thought.

  “You said that he would go to Russia. Where would he head for, Katherine? Would it be St. Petersburg?”

  “More likely to Grozny in Chechnya,” she said, placing the beakers on the table.

  “Chechnya! Why there? That country's in conflict with Russia, isn't it?”

  Katherine poured the tea and sat at the table. “Chechnya is another example of a dangerous and complex war that continues unabated because strategic and political issues are more important. To understand the situation, you need to know the background.”

  “Is this one of your fantasies or the truth for once?” For the first time, Petra showed some impatience with the old woman.

  “Petra, I have always spoken the truth to you…maybe with some omissions, but I have never lied to you.” Katherine sipped some tea. “As you may know, Russia sees Chechnya as a nightmare scenario with no perceivabl
e end. The tactics employed by the Russian military merely breed more terrorists. The campaign encourages Chechens to join Islamist groups, even those that threaten terrorism across Europe. Moslem extremists, supported by local warlords, operate from there as part of a wider Islamist movement.

  “It all started with Chechnya's drive for independence that was not granted because of its instability and continued anarchy. Other political and geophysical reasons also contributed. This has led to suicide bombers committing many atrocities against Russian cities, including hostage taking. Continued conflict will never resolve the situation.

  “Alexis tells me that, through his role with Michel Dumas, he has connections amongst Islamic fundamentalists. He is respected and trusted. They have a far-reaching plan to resolve many issues. That is all I know.”

  “Who has a plan…Dumas?” Petra asked, baffled by her inadequate explanation.

  “Alexis and some high profile Moslem leaders.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “They are fascinated by his personal history and appreciate his profound understanding of their problems. They believe that together they can prosecute their cause.”

  “But, Katherine, their cause is terrorism, the murder of innocent men, women and children, irrespective of race, colour or creed. They just want to de-stabilise western democracies. Surely Alexis cannot condone such atrocities and misplaced ideologies?”

  “Is it not a case of ‘let him cast the first stone’? Throughout time, humanity has violated and killed in pursuit of just causes. In Russia, the Tsarist rulers subjugated the population as slaves. Everyone believed that the revolution would promote a more equitable society, changing our lives forever. However, communism relied on fear, terror and genocide to maintain its grip on one of the most powerful nations in the world. It failed and the struggle continues. What if a state was governed by a political system that understood, tolerated and even celebrated opposing cultures, religions and ideologies in the pursuit of peaceful objectives?”

  “You're talking utopia.” Petra ran her forefinger pensively around the rim of her beaker. “Human nature, being what it is, determines that an ideal world is a fantasy, an unattainable dream.” She sipped some tea. “Is this vision a product of Alexis's wild imagination or another one of your inconceivable concoctions?”