The Old Enemy Henry Porter (best black authors txt) 📖

“observation”. They’re worried we’ll infect others with the agent. Our clothes have been taken away. You sent a message about Robert Harland. You know that Denis and he had recent business dealings??? How did he die? Why did you warn me?’

‘Don’t reply to those questions now,’ said Macy. ‘Tulliver is reliable, but we don’t want him telling the FBI and them linking what happened to Bobby with Denis.’

‘Nyman will make the connection – he’ll tell them. I guess this means his bloody theory is right.’ He stopped and sat down in one of the chairs facing Macy. ‘What business dealings did Denis have with Harland? They surely never met. He was in New York and confined to his apartment with an ankle monitor during the business at Narva.’

‘They did meet. When the Homeland Security investigation was over, Denis flew over to thank Harland for his part in freeing Anastasia. He behaved impeccably, by the way, and didn’t ask about you and his wife. Harland was impressed with him, said he was a grown-up. They got on very well indeed.’

Samson absorbed this. ‘So, what was their business?’

‘I don’t know. I simply arranged for you to protect the young woman at GreenState on Denis Hisami’s behalf. I have no idea what they were cooking up and didn’t ask. You have to remember Bobby was very sick. I doubt he was up to much, apart from painting.’

Samson thought for a moment. ‘Nyman said he knew Harland was working on something.’

‘Did he now?’

‘Yes, I’m sure he said there was evidence he was working on something, and that he and Ulrike were hiding out in a cabin on a “lonely stretch of land” because he knew he was in danger.’

‘The only problem Bobby faced was not getting enough work done,’ said Macy quickly. ‘He had an exhibition in Tallinn in a couple of weeks. I said I’d go. We were going to have dinner after the opening. Like old times.’ He pointed to a very small seascape of deep slate greys beyond his desk. ‘That’s Bobby’s from five years ago. You can see his natural talent – it has the freshness of a much younger artist.’ He shook his head as the loss struck him with renewed force.

‘So where does Zoe Freemantle come in?’

‘I told you I’ve no bloody idea,’ Macy snapped.

That didn’t seem right to Samson, but he didn’t make an issue of it and got up. ‘Sorry.’

The older man shook his head sympathetically. ‘It’s not you. It’s the fuckers who took him.’

‘You won’t mind if I talk to Tulliver? He must know why Denis was paying for Zoe’s protection. I’ll tell him that Denis was going to speak to us about it this evening. I’ll make it plain that he needs to tell us.’

‘This can wait until tomorrow.’

Samson nodded and went over and squeezed Macy’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, old friend. It’s grim for you. I’ll call tomorrow.’

‘Righty-ho!’ said Macy, stiff upper lip asserting itself. ‘Ring me first thing and we’ll put our heads together. You know your way out. And, for fuck’s sake, take care of yourself!’

Chapter 6

The Balsam Tree

He walked from Hendricks Harp to Park Lane and crossed into the park, a good way to lose a tail at night, and one he’d used a couple of times after dining with certain characters from the Middle East in the Edgware Road during his years with SIS. The park also held a romantic memory for him. Four years ago, in the spring, he had come there late one night with Anastasia with a bottle and cigarettes. They had stood under the balsam poplar near the Serpentine, marvelling at the scent of its buds, drained and exhilarated after spending the evening fucking like wildcats, as she had indelicately put it.

He stopped at the memorial to the Reformers’ Tree, the oak that was burned to a stump by protestors wanting the vote for all men in the 1860s, and crouched down on the mosaic, looking for pursuing silhouettes against the lights of Park Lane. He saw none but maintained the position and took out his phone to dial Tulliver, who picked up on the second ring.

‘Jim, sorry to call – didn’t want to bother Anastasia.’

‘Good decision, Samson – she’s got enough to deal with. We don’t know what’s happening with Denis, and she’s very upset. We may lose him. I know things are complicated, but you have to respect that she’s had really serious problems and Denis looked after her.’ That speech delivered, he exhaled and his tone softened. ‘What happened to Harland?’

‘I need you to keep this to yourself. He was shot dead this morning – about ten hours ahead of the attack in Congress. There’s been nothing in the news so far and, obviously, we don’t want people to make that connection.’

‘Why not, if it helps catch the perpetrators?’

Satisfied that no one had followed him, Samson stood up and began to wander round the circular memorial. ‘Because they had business together, Jim. Do you want the FBI crawling through that? Denis was going to talk to Macy tonight and he wanted me on the call. He was going to explain what they were doing. It was going to be a long session.’

‘I doubt that. He didn’t usually speak about such things on the phone.’

‘Well, that’s what he told Macy. You can say now what they were doing. I mean, why was he paying for me to watch Zoe Freemantle at GreenState? What the hell is this about, Jim?’

‘I can’t tell you, because I don’t know. If Denis was paying you, he didn’t tell me – probably didn’t tell anyone. That’s the way he works.’

‘Why Zoe Freemantle?’

‘The name means absolutely nothing to me. I’ve never heard of her.’

‘But you knew Denis went to see Harland in Tallinn to thank him personally for his part in rescuing Anastasia. And they got on well and saw each other and were working on something together. People here think it’s all about revenge for what happened at the bridge – the