did you take this job then?’
She shrugged and said, ‘chance?’
The snow fell. Visibility had closed in. We were silent. Then she spoke again. ‘How will we get to London?’
‘We’ll fly from Geneva.’
‘Will we leave today?’
‘Maybe, if we can.’
The track turned and through the fir trees, we saw the village below. ‘Where are you staying?’ I asked.
‘In a hotel,’ she said.
‘Do you need to return to it?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘Until we get to London,’ I said, ‘you and I will not leave each other’s side.’
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘I’m not going to run off. There’s obviously at lot of money involved and besides I’m looking forward to working with the British Intelligence Service.’
‘We’re not the British Intelligence Service.’
‘Oh, no, then what are you?’
Once off the mountain and back in the village the first place for us to go was Charlotte’s chalet. She was waiting for me. She tried to hide her surprise at seeing Xing.
‘I’ll explain inside,’ I said.
We went in. Her grandfather was there. From his discontented face, I could tell Charlotte had obviously told him some of the latest developments. The most likely one was that we knew his friend, Casanova, had lost the bank a large sum of money in a crooked venture undertaken purely for illegal personal gain. I considered rubbing it in but chose to consider Charlotte’s feelings. You understand, I’m sure. We left Charlotte’s grandfather and went into her bedroom. I indicated for Xing to come with us.
Charlotte whispered, ‘Why is she here?’
I took her to one side and said, ‘She may be able to help recover the money. I’ve spoken to Bazzer. He wants to meet with her. I’m going to return to London and take her with me.’
Charlotte didn’t respond. I got the feeling she wasn’t excited by the news. She glanced at Xing. Just then, my K106 rang. It was Hoagy. ‘I’ve booked two seats on the BA flight leaving this afternoon. I can meet you on arrival.’ I completed the arrangements with Hoagy and ended the call.
‘We leave this afternoon,’ I said to Charlotte. Xing seemed pleased.
Charlotte said, ‘I should come too.’
‘What about your grandfather? Tomorrow is Christmas Day.’
Charlotte made an expression like a little girl who can’t have her own way. ‘This is not the Christmas I had envisaged,’ she said. I didn’t venture an opinion. ‘I want to be kept fully informed,’ she said. I nodded. As if to affirm this I said, ‘Is Casanova next door with his family?’
‘Yes, he’s struggling a little,’ she said.
‘It’ll be worse when he returns home,’ I said. ‘The police will question him about the girl’s murder and the press will have a ball. He’s almost certain to lose his job with the bank.’
Charlotte nodded. ‘Yes, I know,’ she said.
I thought about Bradshaw and the ST. I wondered if it would still be on. I wondered about the reason for it in the first place. Was it connected to all this or could it be something different? I would speak to Bradshaw when I got back. Charlotte was right. This Christmas wasn’t the one any of us had envisaged.
Xing and I left Charlotte and her grandfather, and Casanova and his wife and daughters in their ski chalets and walked back into the village. Xing carried my skis and poles and I carried her rucksack with the rifle stored away in its case.
The snow had stopped falling but the mountain was icy cold and heavy with still, lifeless cloud. We followed the main street. It was busy. A bus chugged by avoiding the colourful bustle and badly parked delivery trucks. I wondered how long it would be before the body of Ulrich was discovered. I planned to leave immediately.
‘How did you get here from the airport?’ I asked.
‘A minibus service arranged through the airline.’
‘I’ve got a hire car,’ I said.
Although my hotel was nearest, we went to Xing’s first. Upstairs in her room, she collected
She shrugged and said, ‘chance?’
The snow fell. Visibility had closed in. We were silent. Then she spoke again. ‘How will we get to London?’
‘We’ll fly from Geneva.’
‘Will we leave today?’
‘Maybe, if we can.’
The track turned and through the fir trees, we saw the village below. ‘Where are you staying?’ I asked.
‘In a hotel,’ she said.
‘Do you need to return to it?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘Until we get to London,’ I said, ‘you and I will not leave each other’s side.’
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘I’m not going to run off. There’s obviously at lot of money involved and besides I’m looking forward to working with the British Intelligence Service.’
‘We’re not the British Intelligence Service.’
‘Oh, no, then what are you?’
Once off the mountain and back in the village the first place for us to go was Charlotte’s chalet. She was waiting for me. She tried to hide her surprise at seeing Xing.
‘I’ll explain inside,’ I said.
We went in. Her grandfather was there. From his discontented face, I could tell Charlotte had obviously told him some of the latest developments. The most likely one was that we knew his friend, Casanova, had lost the bank a large sum of money in a crooked venture undertaken purely for illegal personal gain. I considered rubbing it in but chose to consider Charlotte’s feelings. You understand, I’m sure. We left Charlotte’s grandfather and went into her bedroom. I indicated for Xing to come with us.
Charlotte whispered, ‘Why is she here?’
I took her to one side and said, ‘She may be able to help recover the money. I’ve spoken to Bazzer. He wants to meet with her. I’m going to return to London and take her with me.’
Charlotte didn’t respond. I got the feeling she wasn’t excited by the news. She glanced at Xing. Just then, my K106 rang. It was Hoagy. ‘I’ve booked two seats on the BA flight leaving this afternoon. I can meet you on arrival.’ I completed the arrangements with Hoagy and ended the call.
‘We leave this afternoon,’ I said to Charlotte. Xing seemed pleased.
Charlotte said, ‘I should come too.’
‘What about your grandfather? Tomorrow is Christmas Day.’
Charlotte made an expression like a little girl who can’t have her own way. ‘This is not the Christmas I had envisaged,’ she said. I didn’t venture an opinion. ‘I want to be kept fully informed,’ she said. I nodded. As if to affirm this I said, ‘Is Casanova next door with his family?’
‘Yes, he’s struggling a little,’ she said.
‘It’ll be worse when he returns home,’ I said. ‘The police will question him about the girl’s murder and the press will have a ball. He’s almost certain to lose his job with the bank.’
Charlotte nodded. ‘Yes, I know,’ she said.
I thought about Bradshaw and the ST. I wondered if it would still be on. I wondered about the reason for it in the first place. Was it connected to all this or could it be something different? I would speak to Bradshaw when I got back. Charlotte was right. This Christmas wasn’t the one any of us had envisaged.
Xing and I left Charlotte and her grandfather, and Casanova and his wife and daughters in their ski chalets and walked back into the village. Xing carried my skis and poles and I carried her rucksack with the rifle stored away in its case.
The snow had stopped falling but the mountain was icy cold and heavy with still, lifeless cloud. We followed the main street. It was busy. A bus chugged by avoiding the colourful bustle and badly parked delivery trucks. I wondered how long it would be before the body of Ulrich was discovered. I planned to leave immediately.
‘How did you get here from the airport?’ I asked.
‘A minibus service arranged through the airline.’
‘I’ve got a hire car,’ I said.
Although my hotel was nearest, we went to Xing’s first. Upstairs in her room, she collected
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