by Estelle Ryan
Julien sat down on the opposite end from Emad, not making eye contact. He was quite successful in not attracting attention. I sat down next to Manny, putting my entire focus on Emad.
He shrugged. “Where’s my coffee? I asked for a latte at least an hour ago.”
Manny’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead. He looked at me. “Did you hear that? He’s demanding service.”
I clenched my teeth hard to resist answering Manny’s question. Of course I’d heard Emad’s request. I was sitting right next to Manny. I assumed his ridiculous question had a different purpose.
Emad sighed, shook his head and put both hands on the table. “I apologise. It feels like days ago that you got me out of Fradkov’s house, yet it’s only been a few hours. I’m just really tired. It’s been a hard few months.”
“Hard how?” Manny slumped deeper in his chair.
“Losing my brother, then being held against my will by a psychopath. I think that qualifies as hard, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean being held against your will?” Manny’s question pleased me. I’d been wondering about Emad’s claims when we’d found him this morning.
“Exactly what it implies. I didn’t have freedom to leave the house.”
“You couldn’t open the doors?”
Emad rolled his eyes. “Of course I could open the doors. It was even okay for me to go to the small grocery store two blocks away, but Fradkov had made it very clear that I was not to consider going further than that. He promised to make my death a very slow and painful one after he’d made me watch my dad’s very slow and painful death.”
The most important thing about analysing body language was context. A lot of novices made the mistake of thinking they knew exactly what crossed arms, a shaking leg, a fist against the mouth meant, but without knowledge of the larger context, it was easy to err.
I couldn’t ascertain Emad’s truthfulness. All of his nonverbal cues agreed with what he was saying. Yet his background as a covert operative who excelled in deception kept me from feeling confident in anything I observed. I narrowed my eyes and watched as he glanced at all three of us. Was it to make eye contact to establish a connection or was it to determine how believable he was in his deception?
“I’m sure you know I’ve not been close to my father in a long time, but I didn’t want him to suffer for Claude’s bad judgement.” Emad held up one hand towards Manny. “I know what you’re going to ask. And my answer is that Claude was the one who made contact with Fradkov. It was Claude who convinced me... No. Not convinced. Claude threatened me until I agreed to work with Fradkov. I didn’t want anything to do with that man.
“Throughout the years working for the French government, I’d heard more than a few rumours about Ivan Fradkov. I knew that most people who’d ever been associated with him didn’t get to live very long and anyone who ever went against him lived even shorter lives. But Claude didn’t care about this. He was attracted to one last job and convinced me with that promise.”
“The polonium-210 poisonings were supposed to be the last of your criminal activities?” I found that hard to believe.
“I really wanted it to be our last. For two years, I told Claude that our operations had to come to an end. No matter how careful we were and how we would never ever have been caught because of negligence on our side, we still worked with people. Idiots, actually. Idiots who had no loyalty towards us if their lives or livelihoods were being threatened. They would’ve given us up to the authorities in a heartbeat if it meant they would get out of an arrest or get a cosy deal.”
His angry sigh and thinned lips were convincing. “But Claude insisted we continue. We had more customers than we had time, so the typical supply-demand thing happened and we offered our services at a premium. And these idiots were happy to pay. At least they knew they got value for their money. We always delivered on time and never got caught.”
“Were you a willing participant in this business or did you also feel that you had no choice?” I didn’t bother softening my voice to sound sympathetic. Emad could’ve, and most likely had, researched me and would know that I was trying to manipulate him.
“Both.” He lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug. “At first I wasn’t willing. Claude had managed to get himself into trouble with some drug dealer in Croatia of all places. I was on assignment in Bosnia, so it was easy for me to hop across the border to Croatia and deliver the dealer equipment that he needed for his... er... business. And no, I’m not going to tell you who the dealer was or what equipment. All you need to know is that it was our first job and it was much easier than I’d ever thought it would be.”
“Then you became willing.”
“Not yet. It was after a job that netted us over half a million euros that I realised how profitable this could be. Claude and I only had to do a few of these to have us both set for life. I became less willing again once we had a few million each stashed away. But Claude was greedy. As always. Enough was never enough for him. He always wanted more.”
“What did Fradkov promise that made Claude willing to hang it up after that job?” Manny asked the question also on my mind.
“If the poisonings had gone as planned and you hadn’t interfered and killed my brother—” Emad took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “If all had gone according to plan, we would’ve each received ten million euros.”
I ignored Julien’s gasp and glanced at Manny. I only caught one micro-expression that indicated his shock. To anyone else, he would appear bored.
He raised one eyebrow. “And that was enough to retire? What did you two jokers plan to do? Live on an island?”
“We were going to buy an island.” Emad huffed a laugh, but there was no humour in it. “Now, I’ll have to buy it alone. I don’t have a brother anymore, you know.”
This was it. This was the unguarded micro-expression I’d been waiting for. Well-hidden between his grief, anger and concern was contempt. His laugh would have convinced me of his resignation to these circumstances had it not been for his levator labii superioris muscle pulling his mouth into a sneer.
This put everything he had said in doubt. On the one hand I found it frustrating that I couldn’t read his true communication as easily as most people’s. But on the other hand I revelled in this challenge. It was not often that I couldn’t read someone’s nonverbal cues and ascertain the truth behind their words.
I made sure to control my own micro-expressions not to give away any of my observations. “If you plan to buy an island, you must feel confident that you won’t be incarcerated and that Fradkov won’t find you.”
“I feel much more confident that I won’t land up in prison than I do about Fradkov not finding me.” He blinked slowly and tilted his head. His attempt at appearing pensive was almost convincing. “You know what would be perfect for me, for the French government and for your precious reputation? Killing Fradkov.”
“You want us to do your dirty work?” Manny snorted. “Doc, I think we have ourselves an egomaniac here.”
“No, it’s not my dirty work.” Emad swallowed. “The French government would never put me in prison. I know too much about too much. They’re going to either kill me or send me to some black site and I’ll disappear forever. And that’s pretty much the same reason no government would ever put Fradkov in a prison. He knows too much about too many powerful people. Hell, he’s the one who made them powerful. And leaving him running around as a free man is obviously not an option either.”
“But we should let you run free?” Manny shook his head. “How stupid do you think we are?”
“Very.” His flinch was genuine. “I apologise. I don’t think you’re stupid. You were smart enough to track me down. I’m just desperate to get out from under Fradkov’s control.”
“Why did Fradkov threaten your life? Hold you against your will as you said?” This really bothered me.
“He thought I was betraying him.”
“Were you?”
>
“No.” His lie was well-concealed, but I saw it. His shoulders dropped. “I wish I had the courage to betray that psycho. He’s just too powerful. I was—I am—scared of what he’ll do to me. If I ever betrayed him, the things he would do to me would break me.”
“You are betraying him now.”
He blinked once, then immediately widened his eyes in fear. He was convincing. “Oh, no. You have to protect me.”
Manny inhaled to respond, but stopped when I raised my hand. He got impatient when I took too long to say something and raised both eyebrows. “Doc?”
I didn’t want to reveal my idea in front of Emad, so I got up quietly and walked to the door. When I opened it, I wasn’t surprised to see Phillip and Alain quietly talking a few metres from the conference room. Alain had been distressed and would’ve wanted to be immediately available if we’d needed him. Now I did.
I left the conference room, closed the door behind me and waited for Alain and Phillip to join me. Alain’s eyes were wide, his face pale. “Is he asking for me? Is Emad asking for me?”
“No.” I paused when I saw disappointment and pain flash across Alain’s face. I looked at Phillip for assistance.
“But I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.” Phillip rested his hand on Alain’s shoulder and turned to me. “Do you need Alain’s help?”
“No.” I only realised Phillip’s strategy when he widened his eyes. I cleared my throat. “Yes. Alain, I need your help. Emad is not being truthful and I believe your presence would help us.”
“Anything.” Alain glanced at the door. “I’ll do anything to help.”
“I’ll be in my office if you need me.” Phillip squeezed Alain’s shoulder and smiled at me.
I nodded and opened the door. I walked in first so I could see Emad’s reaction when his father entered the room. I was not disappointed. Emad stopped in the middle of a sentence, his face immediately losing colour when he noticed his father.
Micro-expressions were called such because of their fleeting nature. The happiness, hope, sadness, fear and worry on Emad’s face could have easily been missed if I had not been trained to see it. No sooner had those expressions flittered across his face than he straightened his expression to something more neutral. His smile didn’t reach his eyes when he watched Alain sit down next to Julien. “Hi, Dad.”
Alain blinked a few times, but it didn’t stop a tear from running down one cheek. “How are you, son?”
“Been better.” Emad leaned forward. “I really need these people’s help, Dad. I got in over my head and I need their help to get out.”
“What are you into?” Alain’s concern was genuine. As a father, he was not going to be objective.
“I can’t tell you most of it, Dad.” Emad sighed. “A lot of classified shit, but there’s this man who’s controlling my life at the moment. He’s making me do things I don’t want to.”
“Like Claude did?”
Emad nodded. “Like Claude did.”
“The photo you sent.” Alain swiped the back of his hand over his wet cheek. “That holiday you broke your arm.”
Emad’s laugh held sadness. “Only one of many examples.”
“Did you agree to Claude’s ideas because he was your brother or because he manipulated you in some manner?” I almost smiled when I saw the brief appearance of Emad’s tongue between his lips. Triumph. He thought he’d swayed us.
“Claude was very good at getting people to do what he wanted.”
“The same way Fradkov is manipulating you now?”
“Yes.” He glanced at Alain, then back to me. “Look, I know I have done a lot of illegal shit, but it never endangered people’s lives before. This... Fradkov... I don’t want to have any part in his plans anymore.”
“Why does Fradkov terrify you so much?” The fear I’d seen was real.
“His plans... someone like him should never have a lot of power.” He shook his head, looked at his dad, at Julien, then at Manny. “You are wasting time talking to me. You need to find Fradkov and stop him.”
“Stop him from doing what?” Manny asked before I could. I was too distracted by what I’d observed.
“I don’t know.” His lie was well-disguised, but I’d seen it. “Really, I don’t know what he’s planning. All I know is that you are part of this plan. Your whole team, including that guy who went missing on the plane.”
“What do you know about the plane?” Manny’s tone was hostile.
“Nothing. I swear.” He looked at me. “Fradkov spent a lot of time in his office talking to someone on the phone about the exact location where they put that plane down. And he was speaking in Russian. I heard him talk about this Daniel person, but I never heard anything about what he was planning after the plane landed.”
“Doc?”
“He’s telling the truth.” But I wasn’t. I watched as Emad’s zygomaticus major muscles contracted in a tiny smirk. He thought he’d outwitted me. I wanted him to believe that. I still didn’t know how much credit to give to anything he’d told us, but I needed to consider every word and nonverbal cue with great care if I wanted to get to the truth.
I was growing tired of this game he was playing and listened to him answer a few more questions from Manny. It became harder to keep my thoughts to myself, so I got up and left the room. A minute later, Manny, Julien and Alain joined me. Alain looked even more distraught than before. “He’s... he’s not the boy I raised.”
“We know that.” Manny pushed his hands in his trouser pockets. “Thanks for your help, Alain.”
“Did I help?” Alain looked at me. “All I did was sit there and wonder what I’d done wrong.”
“Your presence helped.” I relaxed when I saw Phillip coming towards us. He took one look at us and escorted Alain to his office.
Manny watched them leave with a deep frown. “Did he help, Doc?”
“Not much, but I did get a better read on Emad’s nonverbal cues.”
“I don’t know how you people can think that was a successful interview.” Julien exhaled heavily. “He didn’t tell you anything. You don’t know where Daniel is, you don’t know what Fradkov’s plan is, you don’t know what’s happening with the leftover polonium-210. You know nothing.”
“That’s not true.” I thought about it. “You are correct that we don’t know about those specific details, but I’ve learned something very important. Emad does have knowledge of Fradkov’s plans, even if it is not detailed knowledge.”
“Then we need to get back in there and get it out of him.”
“What do you plan to do, Privott?” Manny grunted. “You’re going to get your little bag with torture tools? Get real. That man is a trained spy. He’s trained in deception and has most likely aced more interrogations than you’ve ever seen on TV and the movies.”
“Manny is being facetious, but he’s correct. Emad won’t share with us what he knows.”
Manny turned to me and narrowed his eyes. “You saw something else. What did you see, Doc?”
“Whatever Fradkov is planning might put him in a position of power different from what he’s enjoying at the moment. Outside of a select few law enforcement agencies, Fradkov is an unknown entity. Emad revealed something I think he now greatly regrets.” I’d seen it, but didn’t yet know what it meant. “He affected his fear of Fradkov most of the times he talked about manipulation and plans. But when he said that someone like Fradkov should never have a lot of power, his fear was real.”
“What do you make of it, Doc?”
“I’m not sure and don’t want to speculate.” I lifted my index finger. “But I know you want me to, so I will say this: I think that Fradkov is working towards something that would put him in a more powerful position than any of the people he’s ever worked for.”
Manny pressed his fists against his eyes. “What on God’s green earth does that mean?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t going to speculate any further. “I believe Daniel plays an important role
in this and we need to find him.”
Chapter SIXTEEN
“Do you know where Daniel is?” I stared at Nikolai Guskov’s image on one of the monitors in front of me. “Have you found him?”
“I’m sorry, Genevieve. This is not why I called.”
My shoulders dropped and I swallowed the disappointment pushing up my throat. When the Russian consul general had unexpectedly Skyped me, I had answered with irrational hope. Anger replaced the hope and disappointment. “Why did you call?”
Colin pushed his chair closer to mine to fit into the camera’s view. “Good afternoon, Nikolai. We truly appreciate your help.”
Nikolai studied Colin for a few seconds. “I assume you are the polite member of the team?”
“Amongst other duties.” Colin’s smile was evident in his tone. “Now if you could be so kind as to wait a second while I call...”
“No need to call me,” Manny said from behind us. “I’m here.”
“Good afternoon, Manny.” Nikolai leaned back in his chair.
“Nikolai.” Manny cleared his throat. “Do you have news for us?”
“Yes.” Nikolai lifted one hand, palm out. “But before you get excited, I don’t know where Daniel Cassel is.”
Not taking an active part in the conversation and having had a few moments to contain my emotional response, I was focused enough to register Nikolai’s micro-expressions. “You’re not being truthful.”
“Actually, I am.” His lips tightened and his tone lost some of its warmth. “I don’t appreciate being called a liar. And if you would give me time to finish my thought, you would hear the whole truth.”
“We apologise.” Colin put his hand on my forearm and squeezed. “We’re just very worried about our colleague.”
“I understand that.” Nikolai glanced away from his computer toward where the door would be. “This is not an official call, so I would appreciate your discretion.”
“Noted.” Manny shifted behind me. “Your news?”
“I’ll start with Lev Markov. Your Monsieur Privott phoned to ask if I could set up a meeting. I called Lev, but he’s in Ukraine. Since he’s not well-received in Belarus, he went to Kiev to prepare for the exhibition’s next stop. It’s still two months away, but he wants to do what he can to get as much publicity as possible.”