The Final Cut

by Catherine Coulter

  There was an opening ahead, the lake showing through the heavy trees next to the road.

  The man in the passenger side of the truck pulled his entire upper body out of the window and sighted on them.

  “Now, Mike. Hold the wheel and put your foot on the gas.”

  She moved to take his place, and he slid his upper body out of the window and took careful aim, ducking as the AK spat bullets back at them.

  “Here you go, you bugger.” He caught the driver’s eye in the rearview, rolling and mad, and took careful aim despite the wind whipping him backward. He emptied his magazine into the driver’s-side window, saw the fine spray of blood across the glass, and pulled back into the car.

  The results were immediate. The Land Rover squirreled hard to the left, hit the concrete barrier and ricocheted off to the right, through the metal guardrail, which launched it into the air. It twisted as it toppled over the edge and caromed down to the water head over tail, before crashing through an old wooden dock and landing upside down in Lake Geneva.

  Nicholas pulled the beaten-up valiant Mercedes to the side of the road. Mike was out the door immediately, Nicholas right behind her, their weapons drawn, but there was no need—the Land Rover and its occupants were sinking down into the freezing water.

  It was over.

  To Mike’s astonishment, Nicholas started laughing. “You want to know something? My back doesn’t hurt at all. I feel bloody great.”

  The sirens were on them. The Geneva police screeched to a stop, blocking the A1 in both directions. Officers scrambled down the bank to the submerged truck, and two took defensive positions in front of Mike and Nicholas, shouting in French, “Drop your weapons!”

  Mike held up her FBI credentials. “I’m Special Agent Michaela Caine, FBI, and this is Chief Detective Inspector Nicholas Drummond, Scotland Yard! Call FedPol Agent Pierre Menard; we’re working with him.”

  She looked at Nicholas and shook her head, her ponytail swinging in her face, trying to catch her breath. “You call that no heroics?”

  73

  Menard caught up to them as the divers arrived. Nicholas and Mike were drinking hot coffee out of foam cups and being questioned by a pissed-off young Contonal Police captain. After shooting up the main thoroughfare through Geneva, causing countless wrecks during the course of a high-speed chase, ending with a car in Lake Geneva and two missing bodies, the captain wasn’t inclined to allow them to leave the city, but Menard flashed his FedPol badge, spoke a few curt words in French, and he backed off, even more pissed off than he’d been when he arrived.

  Nicholas said, “No one was hurt, I hope?”

  “Only the two you chased into the lake,” Menard said. “What can you tell me about them?”

  Nicholas said, “Both dark-haired and medium height, late twenties to early thirties. One was Caucasian and the other was Egyptian, maybe. I thought I heard a few choice phrases I’ve overheard in Cairo before. As to who set them on us, that’s the more troubling question. Either the Fox called in some hired muscle, or these guys belong to the buyer. To go to this extreme, it’s got to mean they’re panicking, which means we’re getting close.”

  A diver in a wet suit broke the surface with the truck’s license plate in his hand.

  Menard said, “I am thankful you and Agent Caine escaped more injury. It is probable the Land Rover was stolen, but we will trace this plate and find out to whom the truck belonged, and with luck, it will lead us to your buyer. And when we have a positive identification on the two assailants, I will let you know. I will meet you in France tonight.

  “Now, the young captain will not detain you. We have secured your flight to France. It would be best for you to leave sooner, rather than waiting too long. I will manage this. But you must go now, or the captain might shoot all of us.”

  Mike touched Menard’s arm. “Thank you, monsieur, you’ve been a great help.”

  He took her hand and kissed it. “My pleasure, of course.” He handed Nicholas a Glock .40.

  “My own. You may need this. Be careful.”

  74

  Paris, 14th Arrondissement

  La Santé Prison

  Saturday, noon

  The flight from Geneva to Paris took only forty-five minutes, and the drive from Charles de Gaulle to La Santé Prison another twenty-five. Nicholas wasn’t feeling so great now. He was covered in a fine sheen of sweat when they arrived. Mike was worried about him, but he was a stubborn man, determined not to look like he was hurting, so she kept her mouth shut.

  They were met by the warden of La Santé. Her name was Lucienne Badour, a striking brunette in her late forties, heavyset but with long, shapely legs more suited to dancing the cancan than walking the filthy prison halls. She spoke very nice English with a strong Parisian accent.

  She met them at the gate, got them signed in, and brought them to the entrance of the infamous prison. She stopped before they entered the first door.

  “May I ask why you desire a meeting with Henri Couverel?”

  Nicholas shook his head. “It’s a matter of national security. We must speak with him in private, with no one listening. If he knows he’s on camera or tape, he may not be frank with us, and we don’t have time to sort out lies.”

  “Is it pertaining to the Koh-i-Noor diamond? I understand it was stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Thursday evening. It’s all over the news.” She turned to Mike. “Forgive my curiosity. Your boss, Milo Zachery, arranged this meeting. He told me a bit about what was happening.”

  Mike said, “I’m sure he did, Madame Badour, but we are not at liberty to discuss the matter. May we see Monsieur Couverel now?”

  Badour gave them a beautiful Gallic shrug. “You can see him, but whether he will speak to you is another matter. He is not a cooperative inmate.”

  Mike had been in her share of prisons. La Santé had a reputation as one of the worst in the world. The suicide rates were enormous, inmates battled infestations, overcrowding, lice and rats, and one another. She had to admit, the long, gray corridors weren’t cheerful. They would go for twenty to thirty feet and meet another gate, which was opened only after the gate behind them was shut, locked, and cleared. It took a solid twenty minutes to weave their way inside the dank concrete walls.

  Nicholas said, “Madame Badour, has Couverel made any requests which you’ve denied?”

  “Hundreds. He knows most of the drug pushers in Paris. Many officials want information from him, but it always comes at a price. Cigarettes, privileges, television. His most fervent demand, however, is beyond my control.”

  “What does he want?”

  “A transfer to Clairvaux Prison. Out of Paris, out of this—” She broke off, swinging her hand around, and finished with a short “muck.”

  “And if I could make this happen? Would he be more cooperative?”

  She studied him for a moment. “You must have sway with the French authorities.”

  Nicholas said, “Enough.”

  Mike remembered his Foreign Office ties, and realized that yes, he did have the pull for such a move.

  Madame Badour realized he was serious as well. “Then I will not stop you from making the offer as leverage. We will wait here for Couverel. It won’t be long. He isn’t dangerous; we keep him in the mixed cells. Four men to a cell, they are confined twenty hours out of the day. He’s been in isolation a few times, but he’s been well behaved for the past two years, so he’s been given work privileges. He folds pamphlets for a company we do business with. Oh, here is Couverel now.”

  Even as bad as the prison was, Mike was still shocked at the man’s appearance. His dark hair was lank and greasy, and heavily streaked with white. His clothes were torn and dirty. He hadn’t seen a razor in at least a week, nor water for bathing, it seemed. French prisoners didn’t wear uniforms as they did in American prisons. They depended on the kindness of family and friends to provide fresh clothes. Couverel was obviously on his own.

  She didn’t think C
ouverel looked well enough to stand the interview, much less many more years.

  He sat down hard at the chipped Formica table and stared at them. Mike and Nicholas sat themselves opposite him.

  Nicholas turned to Madame Badour. “You’ll excuse us?” It wasn’t a request.

  She pursed her lips and walked out. The steel door shut behind her with a loud clang, and they were alone with the prisoner.

  Nicholas asked, “Parlez-vous anglais?”

  Couverel shrugged. “Non.”

  In fluid French, Nicholas continued to speak, and Mike struggled to keep up with his fast, idiomatic speech. Couverel was paying attention, and when Nicholas switched to English mid-sentence, he followed along.

  Liar. He did speak English.

  “The lady does not have enough French to follow. We will continue in English.”

  He shrugged again, a spark of humor in his eyes. “Oui, cochon.”

  Nicholas ignored the insult. “You look a bit like your sister.”

  Couverel’s eyes narrowed. “I have no sister.”

  “Of course you do. We have DNA matching her to you. Where is she?”

  Couverel stared at the table, flicked a nail against the edge.

  Nicholas leaned into Couverel’s face. “Listen to me very carefully. You have something I want. In return, I will give you what you want—a transfer to Clairvaux Prison. If you’re truthful, I will make it happen. Lie to me”—Nicholas shrugged, placed his large hands on the table—“you will remain here to sleep with the rats.”

  75

  Couverel settled deeper into the hard metal chair, chewed on a ragged, cracked lip for a moment, then said quietly, “If you can get me to Clairvaux, I will give you what you want.”

  Nicholas said, “Consider it done. You have my word. Now, your sister?”

  Mike said, “We need a name, Henri. What was she called?”

  “We called her Victoire. We were separated at a young age. She went to live with a family in England; I was left behind. I was old enough to be on my own, she was only a child.”

  Victoire. Victoria in English. As Gray Wharton had said, the best lies were always based in truth.

  “Our parents left us when she was five. I do not know if they died or were killed or simply did not care anymore. I found out later they were murdered. We were put into the Clesde Champs orphanage and stayed off and on for five years. Victoire had a family who liked her; they took her away, and I have not seen her since.”

  “What were your parents’ names?”

  “Isobel, she was my mother. My father was Henri as well.”

  “Couverel?”

  “Oui.”

  “And the family who took her?”

  “No idea. The woman, she had light hair and eyes. I remember thinking it would be clear Victoire was adopted; she looked nothing like the woman.”

  “Victoire Couverel. How old is she?”

  “Four years younger than me. I am forty-two.”

  Mike was surprised. He looked to be in his late fifties if he was a day.

  She said, “And you haven’t seen her since you were fourteen and she was ten?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “No contact at all?”

  “No.” But he looked away, down and to the left as he said it, and they both knew he was lying.

  Nicholas crossed his arms. “Clairvaux Prison awaits if you tell us the truth, Henri.”

  Couverel sat back in the chair, scratched his neck. Something came off in his fingers; he examined it for a second, then casually flicked it away.

  Mike shuddered. Couverel caught the movement and smiled at her. His teeth were crooked but in surprisingly decent shape, considering. His voice was dreamy.

  “Do you know they keep Carlos the Jackal at Clairvaux? I should like to meet him. He was here for a time, inside La Santé. But kept isolated. A celebrity. I suppose they didn’t want him to give us ideas.”

  Nicholas was getting impatient. “Henri, I’ll make sure you get a personal audience with him, but only if you tell me the truth. When did you see Victoire last? I know you’ve seen her recently, so don’t lie.”

  He sniffed and lit a cigarette he’d probably stolen. “I speak the truth. It has been twenty years since I last saw her. She does not care about me, I do not care about her. I have no idea where she is or what she’s done to bring you to me, cochon. I don’t care, either. If you see her, remind her she has a dying brother.” He took a long drag on the cigarette and shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe she will send me some money. Or her friend will.”

  Nicholas flattened his palms on the table and leaned close. “What do you know of your sister’s friends, Henri?”

  His eyes flickered. So this was the lie. He said slowly, unwillingly, “Perhaps I have heard of a man she knows.”

  “Go on.”

  “He is, how do you say it in English, un fantôme, oui?”

  A ghost. Nicholas felt his heart speed up.

  “A ghost?” Mike asked. “You mean the man is dead?”

  Henri lit a new cigarette from the smoking ember of the old one. He nodded. “Yes, a ghost. But he is not dead.”

  “You have to give us a bit more to go on, mate.”

  “I cannot give what I do not have.”

  “What’s his name?”

  Silence.

  Yes, Couverel was afraid of this so-called ghost. Who was he?

  “Where did she meet him?’

  Silence.

  Mike said, “Come on, Henri. Help us out.”

  “Un fantôme. You look, and you will see.”

  “Tell us more about the people who adopted Victoire.”

  Couveral didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t meet their eyes.

  76

  Couverel looked caught between the Devil and a hard place. Nicholas paused at the door, waited for a moment, and, sure enough, Couverel leaped up from his chair but he said nothing.

  Nicholas waited, then stood up. “Say good-bye to Clairvaux, Henri.” He turned to Mike. “Let’s go.”

  “The family who took Victoire, the man was some kind of missionary. He traveled, to foreign countries. I remember because they asked what sort of shots Victoire had.” He snapped his fingers in disgust. “As if she were a dog they had rescued from the gutter.”

  Nicholas had seen Victoria snap her fingers in that same dismissive way in New York, at the Met, while they were still on the same team. Was it simple genetics, or had Henri seen Victoria more recently than he claimed?

  Nicholas doubted it, because Couverel wanted Clairvaux more than he was afraid of the ghost. Nicholas rubbed his hand across his chin. He hadn’t had a chance to shave, and the stubble was thick. “Shots. A missionary. Were they taking her back to England, or somewhere else?”

  “I do not know. And I swear to you, I know nothing more. Clairvaux—will I go there?”

  Nicholas said, “Yes, you will go to Clairvaux.”

  Nicholas went to the door and pressed the buzzer. Moments later, Madame Badour appeared, and they stepped from the room. She shuttled them through the first two gates before saying, “It sounds as if you had success.”

  Nicholas nodded. “Expect the request to come for his transfer to Clairvaux, but don’t release him to their custody until I give you the go-ahead. I need to make sure the information he gave us was the truth.”

  The woman spoke without irony. “You may count on me to do my duty, Monsieur Drummond.”

  They wound out of the prison’s heart, through the clanging gates, and she bid them adieu at the cement bench she’d collected them from two hours earlier.

  Mike couldn’t get out of the prison fast enough, and she could tell Nicholas was anxious to be gone and follow the lead, too. It wouldn’t take long to verify the information regarding Victoria’s adoption; it would be in the state records. The ghost. Fantôme.

  She said, “Couverel said the ghost was Victoire’s friend. I assume you made the connection, too, between Henri’s fantôm
e and our master thief, the Ghost.”

  “Yes, I did. He’s a busy man, this fantôme.”

  Mike nodded.” This is the last bit of evidence we need—they have to be partners. And maybe the number she was calling on the plane belongs to him. We can track him through the number.”

  “It fits, Mike. Menard told us the Ghost was a retired assassin. No wonder Couverel was so terrified to tell us about him. The fantôme has already murdered five people we know of in the past couple of days. At least he told us enough about her adoptive parents to track them down.”

  He didn’t argue when Mike took the keys from his hand and got behind the wheel. He climbed in beside her, and she turned the engine over. Heat began shooting from the vents of their rented Peugeot, and she rubbed her hands in front of the stream of air. She was cold through, and it wasn’t only because of the winter chill.

  “You’re quiet. Still hurting?”

  He was hurting, the adrenaline of the chase wearing off. He could make it awhile longer, though.

  “I’ll do. I’m going to look up the parents’ murder as we go. Do you need directions?”

  “No, I have the GPS. But I do need know where we’re going.”

  “A destination would help, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yes, and having a plan might be good, too.”

  “I think our first priority should be finding some food. I’m famished.”

  “Do you know, I don’t think I’ve eaten a proper meal since this case began. You, either.”

  “Drive west, toward the Eiffel Tower. We’ll find something suitable along the way.”

  She put the Peugeot into gear and pulled out. Forty minutes later, they were seated at Café L’Ardoise, steaming cups of café au lait at their elbows and croissants on the plates in front of them. Nicholas’s computer was open, and he was reading out loud between bites.