“I was going to use it to rein in Harry Brabham, and to bring an end to all of this.” He gestured at the room around them, as if that encompassed Bill Brabham’s entire operation. “And yes, with the tape public . . . I don’t know, who can say what might happen now.”
“You’re saying I might not be safe?”
“I’ve no idea, frankly. I’ll try to keep you safe and, chances are, you will be. I’m just saying, releasing that tape makes everything more volatile.” He gestured towards Brabham as if to demonstrate that point. “Why did you do it?”
“Two reasons. Firstly, Sabine Merel. She was murdered, Patrick, and her family and friends have a right to know what happened, to have peace of mind, and they deserve justice.”
“I wouldn’t bank on justice, even now, and if you think this’ll give them peace of mind, you’re fooling yourself.”
“Maybe, but I know I would want to know, if she’d been my daughter.”
Patrick seemed to accept that, then said, “You said there were two reasons.”
“Yeah, the other’s Jack Redford. I don’t know what kind of affinity I had with the guy, but he was up there in the middle of nowhere, working towards this, and he couldn’t come out of hiding, so he never tracked down the copy. It just felt right to finish his work for him. I didn’t know the guy, but I felt I owed him that much.”
Patrick took in what he said, not passing comment, and said finally, “Well, whatever else happens, you did the job I asked, so I’m grateful for that, even if the denouement proved a little excessive.”
“You gave me their contact details—you must have known I’d come to Berlin at some point.”
“Sure, I thought you’d spy on them. I didn’t honestly anticipate that you’d come and wipe them out.” He laughed a little and Dan laughed too. “So what’s next? You’re done with this?”
“Not quite. I met a guy called Eliot Carter, and he gave me the details for someone called Tom Crossley. You know either of them?”
“I knew Eliot years ago. Tom Crossley, I’m not familiar with. What’s his part in it?”
“They were friends. Carter thinks he might know more about Redford’s disappearance. I hope so, anyway. Like I said, the guy got under my skin in some way—don’t know why.”
“Don’t you? Isn’t it because you look at him and wonder if you’re looking at your own future?”
“Maybe.” They fell into a brief silence, the continuing sounds of the team going through the house around them, doing whatever it was they did in this kind of situation. “What about you? What’s your next move?”
“I carry on. As long as you’re not too hot to handle, I might even have some more work for you if you’re interested.”
Dan suddenly became aware of how strange it was to be talking in such a measured way, surrounded by the visceral wreckage of all this violence.
He stood and said, “We’ll have to see about that, but come on, let’s get out of here.” They made for the door and out onto the landing, looking down at the people coming and going in the hall below them. “By the way, one of the guys I cuffed over in Charlottenburg, a tech guy called Josh, he could be a real asset to you, and I think he’d willingly jump ship, if you make him an offer.”
“I’ll bear that in mind—what about the other guy?”
“The other guy would be a real asset too, but I’m less certain about her jumping ship.”
“I see.” They walked down the stairs, ignored by most of the people moving about, some of them in regular clothes, some of them in combats. “I do wish you hadn’t killed quite so many people. I had a feeling you would as soon as I told you about Charlie, but even so . . .”
“Yeah, and ironically, the guy who tortured Charlie wasn’t even here—he’d flown home for an operation on his leg.”
“The guy Charlie shot in the woods?”
“The same. One Alex Robinson. And I have to warn you, Patrick, whether or not I work for you again, whether or not I want to cross swords with Frank Canale, if I ever encounter Robinson, there’ll only be one outcome.”
He smiled at Dan and said, “Then let’s hope you don’t bump into him.”
They crossed the hall and out through the front doors, which were wide open. The grounds were still floodlit and the snow was falling heavier now. The various vehicles parked randomly in front of the house were already snow-capped.
Patrick looked around, and for a moment Dan thought he was about to say something about how beautiful it was, but he said, “Damn it, I came with Frank and it looks like he’s already gone. I’m not sure how I’ll get back.”
“I’ll drive you back. I stole one of their cars—it’s parked out on the street.”
“Oh. Well great, I appreciate that.” They walked along the drive, beyond the reach of the floodlights and out into the darker street. “The Swedes are very happy, by the way. I think I’ll be able to rely on their assistance again in the future, not that I envisage much call for it.”
Dan thought of Inger, wanted to call her, wanted to board a plane that night and land in Stockholm, become a new person. It would have to wait a few more days though, at the very least.