Casanova by Mark Arundel Page B

her things. I stood and watched. It took her just a few minutes. At the desk, she paid the bill with cash. Outside again, she pointed along the street to where I saw the Swiss sign for a post office.
    ‘Do you want to post it?’ she asked. I did want to get rid of it and it seemed as good as any other way.
    ‘Yes, okay,’ I agreed.
    Inside the post office, Xing wrapped the case in brown paper, which she had brought with her. She stuck on a white label that she had already prepared with an address. At the counter, she paid with cash and informed the assistant that the package contained an antique silver cutlery set. I wasn’t surprised to hear her speak French. We left the post office and went to my hotel. Inside, I collected my things from the room and paid at the desk. I left my skis, poles and boots for collection by the hire shop.
    Outside, the hire car waited where I’d left it. I loaded our bags and then got in behind the wheel. Xing sat silently in the passenger seat. I drove away slowly. Compacted snow still caked the roads. The village disappeared like a slide show and we began the winding descent. We turned on blind drops and opened out on vast distances of emptiness. The air in the valley brightened. Shafts of yellow sunlight danced like a running kite. Xing stared out, watching the scene unfold like a child.
    ‘I arrived in the dark,’ she said. ‘It’s so beautiful.’
    The hairpins finished and we reached the valley floor, and the straight, flat run to the lake. A tunnel threw us shortly into darkness.
    ‘How many have you done?’ I said. I felt her look at me.
    ‘What?’ she asked.
    ‘Jobs,’ I said.
    ‘This one was number forty-six.’
    ‘You count them then?’
    ‘I count everything,’ she said. ‘People think the job is all about the killing. It’s actually about everything else, the killing itself is nothing.’ She looked at me again. ‘You kill professionally,’ she said. ‘You must know that.’
    I didn’t reply.
    Close to the airport, I stopped for diesel. We used the facilities and bought cheeseburgers for lunch.
    At the airport, I returned the hire car and we walked to the terminal building. We went to the row of BA desks and checked-in. Xing showed a British passport. I didn’t ask if it was genuine or not. Somehow, Hoagy had managed to book her seat in the same name as her passport. Perhaps it was real and he had it from the database. I didn’t look to see what name it was.
    We passed through security and went to the far end. A busy coffee shop had a free table. We sipped our drinks and waited.
    A muffled rendition of “Rule, Britannia!” sounded from my jacket pocket. It was Charlotte.
    ‘Ulrich’s been found,’ she said. ‘It’s going to be a big story.’
    ‘...how?’ I asked.
    ‘A family member arrived.’
    ‘We’re at the airport. I’ll call you tonight from London.’
    ‘Was that Charlotte,’ Xing asked. I nodded. ‘They have found him?’ I nodded again. ‘And you have no connection with him, nothing to link your name.’ I shook my head. ‘Then...’ Xing shrugged.
    We boarded the plane and took our seats. The crew prepared for take-off. We lifted off on time. During the flight, Xing closed her eyes. I studied her face. It was soft. I couldn’t read it.
    At passport control, I allowed Xing to go ahead of me. She passed through without a hitch. I followed and wondered if Meriwether had somehow fixed things.
    In arrivals, Hoagy was waiting for us. He stood away from the crowd beside an outlet with an Italian name that claimed to sell authentic Panini and Macchiato.
    ‘How was your flight?’ he asked.
    ‘Uneventful,’ I said.
    Hoagy smiled and nodded. He looked at Xing. ‘Shall we go?’ he said.
    The car was a big saloon. Hoagy drove with great care like a Royal chauffeur. The traffic was thick like treacle poured from a dessertspoon.
    My phone rang. ‘Ah good, you’re back safely,’ Meriwether said. ‘I thought we should progress matters