He dropped his hand to his side. His rage was barely controlled. He said between clenched teeth, “It seems the warnings against you were correct.”
“Who would say that about me? I always play by the rules. You’re the one acting like an amateur. Now, I’m going to watch you transfer the money, then I will give you the key, and we will part ways, each satisfied our end of the bargain has been upheld.”
“Very well. Give me the key. An act of good faith.”
Without lowering the weapon, she tossed him the small envelope.
“It is a five-minute walk from here. Now transfer my money.”
“You will come with me.”
She shook her head. “If you try to walk out this door without transferring my money, I will shoot you dead and keep the diamond for myself.”
“Where is the diamond now?”
“Bank Horim. You can see it from here, Saleem. Go out on your balcony and look to the right.”
He considered her for a moment, then shrugged and went to the balcony. The outside air was biting, and the sun was disappearing rapidly. He turned to the right and saw the pulsing blue and white lights half a mile away.
“Kitsune. Come here.”
“So you can throw me off the balcony? No, thank you.”
“Come here now!”
She edged carefully toward the open door. She saw the lights immediately, realized there were police ears in front of the Bank Horim.
Her mobile rang, a secure number. It was Marie-Louise Helmut.
The older woman’s voice was a whisper. “People are asking about you.”
“What people?”
“An America FBI agent and an Englishman from Scotland Yard, plus a French FedPol agent. I am holding them off as long as possible, but they know you were here, and they are bringing warrants. I will not be able to stop them from opening the box.”
Drummond had found her. She’d known he would; deep down, she’d known. But how? How had he found her here?
Kitsune couldn’t allow them to open the box, not while the stone was inside.
Kitsune said, “You must open the box yourself and remove the contents.”
“I cannot, the FedPol agent is still here.” Then Helmut said, “I did send the man and woman to Sages, as you instructed. If only the third agent would leave, I could retrieve the contents of the box unnoticed.”
Kitsune’s heart sped up. A chance, then.
She said, “Do what you have to do. Make it happen.”
She turned to Lanighan.
“There is a problem, but I am handling it. Meet me back here in two hours.”
She didn’t wait for an answer, turned and left so quietly he wouldn’t have known she’d even been in his room if he hadn’t seen her with his own eyes.
66
Geneva, Switzerland
Sages Fidelité
Friday, early evening
Sages Fidelité was not a bank, it was simply a small building with a counter separating the foyer from three walls of floor-to-ceiling safe-deposit boxes. Mike and Nicholas burst in the door at a run, and the attendant behind the counter jumped to his feet and threw his hands in the air. He looked so scared Mike had to bite back a laugh. This was going to go better than it had at Bank Horim.
The boy was the assistant manager, a gawky youth who didn’t look old enough to shave. Tomas was his name, and he was happy to share all he knew, though, alas, it wasn’t much.
He looked at the picture and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, she came in this afternoon and rented a box. She paid up front, the nonresident of Switzerland rate, for two years. Then she put something in the box and left.”
“Let us into the box.”
The wide Adam’s apple bobbed. “Without her key, there is no way to open it.”
Nicholas banged his fist on the counter. “Find a bloody blowtorch, then. Get the box open, right now. And let us see the paperwork.”
The kid knew a serious man when he saw one. “No, no, don’t do that. I have a master key. We’re not allowed to use it, though; it’s only for emergencies.”
Mike touched her fingers to her Glock. “This is an emergency. Open the box.”
The boy swallowed and handed over the paperwork, then ran into the back for his master key.