Even before she had signed the paperwork, she had named her little van Willem after the Prince of Orange. It was a quickly conceived but convoluted decision, based on her reasoning that since she considered that the car looked like a frog and because she had always loved the Brothers Grimm's books of fairy-tales, the handsome little frog car might be a prince in disguise. Certainly, she regarded her van as a noble fellow and trusted him to look after her on the highways.
Releasing the handbrake and slotting into first gear, she checked the mirrors and pulled out into the relatively quiet street. Although cold and frosty, she was sure that today was going to be a good day, the day that she could look back upon as the point at which her business took off. She smiled to herself as she gently motored away heading for the market and intermittently fumbled with the radio to find some songs that she could sing along to.
SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS
Chapter I
'The wheels of my chariot roll in the thunder'
The Challenge of Thor - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The plan had been simple enough, but it simply had not worked. The distraction from his original operation, the last-minute trip, the waiting, all had been for nothing and a complete waste of time when it came to the moment of truth but not for the reasons the man had initially considered.
Reflecting on the morning's events he sat back in his creaking wooden chair and quickly raised a finger to get the attention of the waitress as he saw his commander enter the almost empty bar, nodding to him as he caught his eye.
'Frans, take a seat.'
The man's boss broke into a big grin, raised a hand in greeting and hurried over to the table. He shrugged off his warm overcoat and as he hung it on a nearby coat-stand he beamed back over his shoulder, 'Meneer Faber, sorry dat ik laat ben!'
'English please, you know my Dutch is practically non-existent - it's that or German.'
Rubbing his hands together to warm them, Frans chuckled impishly. 'I think we'll stick to English then, after I've ordered a dubel that is!'
Rey smiled to himself as he watched his boss ordering a dark beer from the waitress. Frans always had a cheerful demeanour even in the direst of circumstances. He had a mischievous personality with a dry sense of humour packed into a short wiry frame. Although a young and sprightly fifty-eight years of age, at only five feet four inches tall he could easily be underestimated, an attribute that Frans had periodically used to great advantage when he had been called upon to engage in physical combat with opponents during his younger years. His promotion through the ranks to the position of a senior commander had attracted a more sedentary lifestyle and even a slight paunch, but he always jumped at the chance to get back into the field.
Walking over to the chair opposite Rey, Frans sat down with a satisfied sigh, his face lighting up with a grin from ear to ear.
'So, we had a bit of a cock-up this morning, eh?' he questioned sarcastically, leaning in and chortling in accented English.
Rey closed his eyes and stifled a resigned laugh, 'Don't, just don't. You couldn't make it up could you?'
The morning's events had indeed been cocked-up. It had started well enough for Rey in comparison to the boredom and waiting he had endured for the last couple of days; a leisurely breakfast as planned, a short tram ride through the shopping district, past the parliament buildings to the Central Station, there to meet with Frans.
He had spotted the closely cropped silver-grey hair of his boss amongst a throng of passengers on the main platform, seeing him sipping from a cup of coffee handed out free of charge by the train operators in recognition and compensation of the extreme cold. Rey doubted that such appeasement would be offered by an English railway operator.
Frans had also spotted him and his face had broken into a smile as he came over to greet him, discarding the hastily drained cup into a recycling bin on the way. Together they had wandered outside and across the main tram station, idly chit-chatting about the weather and the spate of train cancellations before settling into a relaxed walk along the bank of the canal drifting slowly by the Zwarteweg road, the motion of a bevy of swans paralleling their progress between the creeping ice sheets upon the inert waters.
They could talk freely; the occasional pedestrians who scurried by were shoppers concerned only with the fastest route to the warmth of the next store or marching office workers preoccupied with meetings in one or another of the numerous ministries that dotted this area of The Hague. They wandered past the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and Frans started to brief Rey on their mission, if indeed it actually qualified as such.
'Short notice I know, but you know how it is,' Frans chuckled apologetically, 'this has come down from on high, it was Senator Hollis herself that requested your involvement.'
Rey remembered when he had acted as a bodyguard for the Senator some three years ago and how they had struck up a good friendship. They had enjoyed each other's company and he knew that he had become something of a favourite for her, being called upon for various security duties over the years.
'I thought that Senator Hollis was in Turkey, what does she need in Europe that her own people cannot get for her?'
Frans nodded and winked, 'When you want something done right you come to the experts, eh?'
Rey was somewhat relieved since he knew that Senator Hollis would never send him on a wild goose chase.
'So Frans, what's this flap all about?'
Frans snorted derisively and rolled his eyes, 'Well, a certain somebody named Hendricks has caused a bit of a political situation that we have been asked to sort out pretty quickly.'
'Hendricks? Huh, what can he have screwed up? I mean, he's always right even when he's wrong but he generally keeps himself to himself. What could he have possibly done to upset everybody?' Rey had spoken the words dead-pan but his sardonic grimace more than illustrated his real feelings. 'Anyway, he doesn't work for Senator Hollis and more to the point, why are we being pulled off our operations to deal with this?'
Frans jutted his bottom lip out in faux thought and shrugged, 'Maybe because Senator Hollis has a soft spot for you?' he suggestively offered, winking and nudging at Rey. 'Don't worry, this will not impact your current operations, this is something quite different and will only take a couple of days at most, I promise.'
The statement jolted Rey's thoughts for a moment and he stopped walking.
'Frans, we have enough to do without getting involved in something else, even if it does take a couple of days and even if Senator Hollis did request me. Anyway, why can't Hendricks' lot take care of it? If it's their mess, they have loads of pen-pushers sitting around doing bugger all that can clear it up. Why is it always us that gets the shitty end of the stick?'
Turning back, Frans had a puckish look on his face, 'Nee, nee, nee, no sticks and not much shit - this is an easy one I promise, besides, that is what we're here for isn't it?'
He became conciliatory, aware of how much pressure Rey was working under at the moment. Gazing at the swans that had kept pace with them he continued speaking without looking up.
'Our good chief himself, Senator Dru, he came to me directly and told me of Senator Hollis' request. He'd OK'd it because he wants to get the job done quickly and just as importantly, quietly. You're a senior officer and it helped to smooth things over that you have, shall we say, a friend in a high place. Not forgetting that there will be plenty of appreciation when we get this job done, you could get another decoration for your collection on the back of this as it will save everybody a lot of embarrassment. This one you can earn without risking your life, eh? This will be easy, in and out!'
He flicked his finger to and fro to illustrate the point.
'I thought that you could do with a couple of days of rest anyway. I also thought that you might get a kick out of it.'
Frans looked meaningfully at Rey and turned back to walk the short distance to the intersection of Herengracht-Prinsessegracht.
The intersection was mar
ked by a relatively recent stone and brick bridge that had replaced an earlier version considered sufficiently appealing to have been drawn in black ink by Vincent van Gogh himself. The modern introduction of cars, scooters and mopeds had since marred the scene depicted in 1882.
Rey quickly caught up and they stood together waiting, scanning right and left to check that the road was clear, 'So why would I get a kick out of it?'
As they both moved off the pavement, the high-pitched sound of a screaming 50cc engine warned them just in time of the vigorous but belated effort of a moped rider intent on weaving around the small group of pedestrians that had started to cross.
They both dodged back abruptly and Frans winced at the piercing whine of the little engine, coughing exaggeratedly at the acrid fumes spewing from the puny exhaust as it whizzed past. Along with a few other pedestrians, Frans just shook his head and muttered under his breath as they continued to walk along Prinsessegracht, Rey waiting for the informal briefing to resume.
'You were given the name 'Faber' when you were apprenticed?' asked Frans, letting the question hang and watching for Rey's reaction.
'Go on -'
'Ahh, so now you're interested, eh?' Frans winked cheekily. 'Well, as I say, Hendricks has caused something of a political situation and between you and me it is a problem that has required intervention at the very top - the very top. You may recall that the Senator Hollis had decided to centralise the repository of artefacts in the Temple of die Sonne der Schlaflosen, the Seraphim castle up in Poland. There are some pieces here, some there, all over the place in fact and they want to create a grand temple of what are regarded as sacred relics. Anyway, about two weeks ago a couple of the pieces were lost in transit, by which I mean lost as in stolen.'
'I bet Senator Hollis was pleased!' Rey exclaimed with an exaggerated harrumph, although repressing the worst of his disdain for the clear lapse in security.
Rolling his eyes in memory of the explosion of fury that was rumoured to have taken place, Frans chuckled and stopped Rey with a touch against his forearm. He crossed his two forefingers to illustrate ticking off the points he was about to make, 'The lost items are, one, the last surviving copy of Dirigo Lux, testament of a certain Rutilus Faber printed in 1735 and considered a treasure by the Holy Order of Seraphim and, two, an original Sigil Ring, made in 1938 and worn by Queen Maria right up to her death at the end of the Seventh Age. That is considered even more important by some! Can you believe it, the ring of a Sigulah? What do you think of that?'
Rey assumed an expression of suspicion and thought for a moment. 'Alright, I like the Faber connection and I can understand that a couple of priceless artefacts being stolen is significant, certainly embarrassing, but at this time, in the context of Merkur? Come on, there are bigger things to be worried about.'
'Oh, you think so, eh?' Frans nodded. 'Well, that is why I agreed that you were the best person for this job. You've been working too hard on the detail of Merkur. You have lost sight of the bigger picture. You know the butterfly effect? Of course you do, the fifteenth century knights of France knew it, by just one nail one loses a good horse, eh?'
Rey nodded back as if about to repeat by rote the multiplication tables, 'Yeah, alright, for want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, for want of a horse the rider was lost, I get it, but are we really going to lose the battle and the kingdom for want of an antiquarian book and a silver ring?'
Pursing his lips, Frans opened his palms and shrugged, 'Who knows? Whatever the future may hold, our job right now is to hammer home a couple of loose nails and so that is what we are going to do.'
Rey knew that he had been given some slack to complain, such was the prerogative of a Knight in The Holy Order of Thrones, but he also knew that Frans was right. It was their job, no matter how big or how small. He was also right that a couple of days away from England could be a good thing. A short break away from his team, away from the myriad of minutiae that had absorbed his attention for so long - it might be as good as a rest. It would help him focus when he was back on the job.
'Are we alright on this?' asked Frans with a meaningful look.
Rey snapped his mind into focus and smiled back, 'My old friend, the dishonour visited upon the illustrious author of Dirigo Lux shall be repaid in kind by his namesake! Where are the items and who has them?'
The wide grin appeared on Frans' face again, 'That's more like it! Alright, so, about two weeks ago the book and the ring along with a number of other items were to be transferred from the Netherlands to Poland and as it turned out, Hendricks was charged with seeing that they arrived safely. So, he's busy, he doesn't have time, whatever the reason, rather than organising a proper transport he gets some lower ranks together and tells them to courier the smaller items over by themselves. Guess what? An Apprentice Companion has the book and the ring in a rucksack and decides to drop in on an old friend in The Hague over the weekend. He rides in on the train, doesn't even understand the significance of the things he is carry. Long story short, his rucksack is stolen. The book and the ring, both are gone in double-quick time!'
He whistled a sharp sweeping sound through his teeth to illustrate the disappearance.
'Okay, so what are we doing here?' Rey shrugged.
'Ahhh,' Frans raised a finger skyward to show that there was a point to their excursion, 'the Thrones to the rescue! After she'd heard, Senator Hollis was furious and went to The Sigulah to complain. She couldn't believe that the Seraphim's historic treasures had been treated like a paperback thriller and a mood ring. She asked Cardinal Kernighan to intervene and at Senator White's urgent request, Cardinal Weinberger wasn't far behind with his apologies on behalf of the Cherubim but he couldn't make too much of a noise because he was ultimately responsible. Next thing you know, the Thrones become involved when our own Senator Dru takes Cardinal Aho to one side and asks if there is anything we can do, you know, a bit of spare capacity. He talks to Imperator Bardot who then calls me and, after I've done a bit of digging, I find out where the loot is!'
He beamed gratuitously at his own success but Rey looked confused and tried to reconcile the timings that had been mentioned.
'Alright, but these were stolen, what, two weeks ago? Why has it taken so long to get after them?'
'Politics!' Frans exclaimed, shaking his head in indignation. 'They were stolen from Cherubim, but they technically belong to Seraphim. It was embarrassing for them to say the least. So, they fiddle about for a while not knowing what to do, then Senator Hollis finds out, she is furious, she goes crazy, threatens to turn Hendricks into a eunuch. She goes straight to the Sigulah who is outraged but a little more objective. She asks our Senator Dru to help out. One thing after another, Hollis is happy and since she had requested your involvement and since I'm your boss, I get called in to organise a search and retrieval.'
'Alright, but how did you find them?'
'Well, you know, I have people here, I have people there, but luck was on my side. You know we had been working with radio frequency ID tags to mark our own consignments? Well, Senator Hollis had been interested and instigated just such a programme for some of the Order's more important artefacts. An ultra-high frequency passive RFID with a range of over five metres was discretely attached inside the spine of Dirigo Lux. I figured that if the book had been stolen in The Hague, maybe it will be sold on in The Hague, so, I have spent the last week visiting all the old bookshops in the city waiting for my tag reader to bleep at me. It turns out that our thieving friends sold the book to a dealer in town who was not too bothered about provenance when he bought it.'
Rey was impressed, both with the luck of the timing of the tagging programme and the wiles of his commander, but he was still slightly confused.
'So why don't you already have the book back?'
'Ahh,' Frans exhaled sheepishly, 'well, a little complication. It had already been sold as part of a job lot to another dealer. It was sitting there in a big cardboard box but
I had no chance to get it without raising attention. Remember what Senator Dru said? Quickly and quietly, so, I took the details of the dealer it was sold to from the paperwork sitting in the box!'
Frans beamed at his inventiveness.
'Terrific! What about the ring?'
'Hmm, no luck there, but I have a few ideas. We get the book back first and then concentrate on the ring. Senator Hollis knows we cannot spend too long on this but we can give it a go until the weekend is over and then see what happens from there.'
Rey was not entirely convinced but nodded his head in agreement, 'So who is the current dealer?'
'I did a bit of background checking. Gertrude Verker, a young girl, twenty-three years of age. She hasn't been in business very long, just trying to make a name for herself I guess. It looks like she tends to buy job lots from other dealers or wherever, does a bit of sifting and sells on the fair circuit and via the internet. She is in The Hague at this very moment for the Thursday book fair in Lange Voorhout which coincidentally is where we are going right now!'
Rey arched an eyebrow and started to sum up their plan, 'So we go to her stall, check the reader, if she has the book there we buy it. Simple as that?'
'Simple as that, and I know that she will have the book on her stall because I had a Sister watching her apartment from early this morning. While she was there the girl loaded up her van with stock. Our Sister did a walk-by with a tag reader and what do you know, it is in the van!'
Frans grinned diabolically like the Cheshire Cat and gave a complicit wink.
Frans and Rey had reached the boulevard of Korte Voorhout and were wandering south-west along the wide path in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic. The bare limbs sprouting from the trunks of the trees lining both lanes and the median reservation offered a skeletal glimpse of how full of life this route would appear once spring had arrived.
Sun of the Sleepless Page 3