by a roundabout route to call at Karim’s Café des Sports. He parked around the corner by the rugby stadium and looked at the cars parked outside the café. They all carried the number 24 on the licence plate, which meant they were local. Even so, he knocked on the back door and Rashida opened it, an infant crawling at her feet and her new baby in her arms.
‘Karim called the Mayor to find out where they are but he won’t tell us,’ she said when he’d slipped inside and closed the door. Automatically, she began making coffee.
‘I’ll take you there tonight if you like, after the café closes, but you must only go when I take you. It could be dangerous,’ Bruno explained. ‘Don’t say anything about this to Karim unless you’re alone.’
‘Should I bring some food, maybe some clothes?’
‘That’s all taken care of. Dillah is feeding us. And you might want to bring your swimsuits. There’s a pool.’
She grinned. ‘Karim thought you’d have them all in some police barracks or on an army base. It sounds more luxurious than that. But how long is this going to last?’
‘I wish I knew,’ he said, and was about to take his leave when Karim came in from the door that led to the café, his height and bulk instantly filling the room. As soon as he saw Bruno his eyes blazed.
‘What the hell is going on, Bruno? Where are my mum and dad?’
‘That’s why I’m here,’ he replied calmly, and thanked Rashida as she handed him a cup of coffee. ‘They’re still in danger, along with Sami, but I’m hoping to arrange for you to see them this evening.’
Karim took the baby from his wife’s arms and said, ‘I came in for some more sugar. We’re almost out. Could you see to the bar, please? And I was making two double espressos for Julien and Manuel. They’ll also want some of their usual lottery cards.’
As Rashida left, saying that little Pierre had yet to be fed, Karim sat heavily at the kitchen table, scooped up his toddler with his free hand and tried clumsily to seat the little boy in his high chair. Bruno put down his coffee and took the baby and Karim settled his son and began to feed him some yogurt. Bruno bent down to sniff the baby’s head, a scent that always enchanted him.
‘Who are these bastards?’ Karim asked, keeping his voice mild to avoid upsetting his son.
‘Jihadis, Salafists, the same kind of zealots who wiped out Sami’s family in Algeria, and now they’re here in France,’ Bruno replied. ‘They want to kill Sami because he’s the livingproof that they’ve been funnelling French Muslims from the mosque to fight in Afghanistan. If they have to kill your parents or your children to get to Sami, they’ll do it.’
‘You saw them at the
collège
, you know who they are. Why haven’t you arrested them?’
‘If we do that, the people who are behind this will send somebody else. It makes more sense to watch them, monitor their phone calls and their movements and build up a picture of the whole organization, not just these two thugs. They’re just pawns.’
‘You make it sound like my parents are pawns, too,’ Karim said, but Bruno felt there was no malice in his words, simply a sense of frustration that there was so little he could do for his family.
‘We don’t see them as pawns,’ Bruno said, knowing his words were pompous but they needed to be said. ‘We’re doing all we can to protect them, renting a discreet location, installing round-the-clock security guards.’
Karim nodded. ‘What about Rashida and the kids?’
‘We found a notebook in their van. It had your dad’s name and address but not yours. Still, Momu says he listed the entire family when Sami went to the mosque, so they may know about you. If you want to join your parents, we can do that.’
‘I can’t afford to leave the café.’
‘Rashida and the kids could go, but it might be risky for you to stay on alone. These people are armed and ruthless.’
‘
Putain
, why not round up
‘Karim called the Mayor to find out where they are but he won’t tell us,’ she said when he’d slipped inside and closed the door. Automatically, she began making coffee.
‘I’ll take you there tonight if you like, after the café closes, but you must only go when I take you. It could be dangerous,’ Bruno explained. ‘Don’t say anything about this to Karim unless you’re alone.’
‘Should I bring some food, maybe some clothes?’
‘That’s all taken care of. Dillah is feeding us. And you might want to bring your swimsuits. There’s a pool.’
She grinned. ‘Karim thought you’d have them all in some police barracks or on an army base. It sounds more luxurious than that. But how long is this going to last?’
‘I wish I knew,’ he said, and was about to take his leave when Karim came in from the door that led to the café, his height and bulk instantly filling the room. As soon as he saw Bruno his eyes blazed.
‘What the hell is going on, Bruno? Where are my mum and dad?’
‘That’s why I’m here,’ he replied calmly, and thanked Rashida as she handed him a cup of coffee. ‘They’re still in danger, along with Sami, but I’m hoping to arrange for you to see them this evening.’
Karim took the baby from his wife’s arms and said, ‘I came in for some more sugar. We’re almost out. Could you see to the bar, please? And I was making two double espressos for Julien and Manuel. They’ll also want some of their usual lottery cards.’
As Rashida left, saying that little Pierre had yet to be fed, Karim sat heavily at the kitchen table, scooped up his toddler with his free hand and tried clumsily to seat the little boy in his high chair. Bruno put down his coffee and took the baby and Karim settled his son and began to feed him some yogurt. Bruno bent down to sniff the baby’s head, a scent that always enchanted him.
‘Who are these bastards?’ Karim asked, keeping his voice mild to avoid upsetting his son.
‘Jihadis, Salafists, the same kind of zealots who wiped out Sami’s family in Algeria, and now they’re here in France,’ Bruno replied. ‘They want to kill Sami because he’s the livingproof that they’ve been funnelling French Muslims from the mosque to fight in Afghanistan. If they have to kill your parents or your children to get to Sami, they’ll do it.’
‘You saw them at the
collège
, you know who they are. Why haven’t you arrested them?’
‘If we do that, the people who are behind this will send somebody else. It makes more sense to watch them, monitor their phone calls and their movements and build up a picture of the whole organization, not just these two thugs. They’re just pawns.’
‘You make it sound like my parents are pawns, too,’ Karim said, but Bruno felt there was no malice in his words, simply a sense of frustration that there was so little he could do for his family.
‘We don’t see them as pawns,’ Bruno said, knowing his words were pompous but they needed to be said. ‘We’re doing all we can to protect them, renting a discreet location, installing round-the-clock security guards.’
Karim nodded. ‘What about Rashida and the kids?’
‘We found a notebook in their van. It had your dad’s name and address but not yours. Still, Momu says he listed the entire family when Sami went to the mosque, so they may know about you. If you want to join your parents, we can do that.’
‘I can’t afford to leave the café.’
‘Rashida and the kids could go, but it might be risky for you to stay on alone. These people are armed and ruthless.’
‘
Putain
, why not round up
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