Sun of the Sleepless

by Patrick Horne

He had been ordered to retrieve an antiquarian book named Dirigo Lux as soon as possible and as far as intelligence was concerned, the required material was most likely in the possession of a dealer named Gertrude Verker, resident in The Hague at an address just a short tram ride away from the embassy, as in fact any address in the city was. A comprehensive physical description of the book followed which had been copied word for word by Jackson directly from the original eBay advert.

  That part of the assignment seemed straightforward enough, however, there was a complication; the book had been sold the previous evening and Dale was instructed to convince either Verker or the new owner to part with it as the highest priority.

  The suggestion to request a local police officer to aid in the retrieval was a nod to the fact that he had no legal jurisdiction in The Netherlands and his status would need to be implied if not explicitly demonstrated. Basically, he would need to bluff the book out of the hands of the current keeper using a pretext that sounded at least faintly plausible; Jackson had indicated that a lie about it being stolen property from a US museum might suffice.

  It was clear that somebody somewhere was serious about this as Dale had been authorised to offer up to five thousand Euros in compensation, a sum that was paltry in comparison to the figures he had seen bandied about within his recent drugs operations but which seemed ridiculous in the context of a musty old book, as he judged it to be.

  'If this was the Pope's personal Bible or bin Laden's Koran I could understand it, but this looks like a bunch of gibberish, what the hell do they want this for?'

  Dale's eruption elicited an exaggerated sigh from Phil.

  'Dale, I'm trying to work here, I need to get this report completed by this evening and I'm not even half way through yet, stop whining and go get the tram.'

  Scowling, Dale thought for a moment. If it needed to be done then it needed to be done and if he had to have a chaperone in the form of the local police then he needed to make a call.

  Inspector Pieter van Riel abstractedly reached for his desk phone as it started to ring. He took a deep breath and waited for the bell sequence to complete one more cycle before answering the call.

  'Met Brigadier van Riel.'

  'Good afternoon Pieter, this is Chief Inspector Visser, I need to ask a favour of you, how are you fixed for work at the moment?'

  Pieter tensed slightly at the implicit suggestion of yet more jobs being added to his overflowing in-tray and decided to respond somewhat vaguely.

  'Oh, I have lots of paperwork to do, busy as ever, what do you need?'

  Visser hesitated, as if trying to find the words to explain his predicament.

  'We've had a request from the American Embassy to escort one of their officials to retrieve some stolen property. It seems that somebody stole a rare book from one of their museums and they would like us to help in retrieving it without making a major legal issue out of it. There is no suggestion that the current owner of the book actually stole it in the first place but they want an officer present just to help in clarifying the situation and if necessary, to act as an interpreter.'

  Although Pieter spoke excellent English, he considered it a little strange that a Brigadier, an 'Inspector' in the Dutch police ranks, was needed for such a task.

  'Alright, that seems simple enough, but may I ask why you have selected me?'

  Another pause pervaded the line.

  'Well, that is where this whole thing becomes a little strange. A young woman named Gertrude Verker has the book right now. Does the name ring a bell with you?'

  Taking a moment to recollect, Pieter became cautious.

  'Yes, yes I recognise her; I have an appointment to visit Miss Verker next Tuesday as part of the follow up to a tram fatality. That is a coincidence.'

  'Exactly, when they told me the name I did a quick search of our database just to get some background details in case she appeared in our files anywhere and your preliminary report on the tram incident came up with a reference to the very same girl. I don't believe in coincidences, so, it seems appropriate that you go along with this American and find out what this is all about.'

  Considering the synchronicity of events, Pieter nodded to himself as his mind whirred.

  'Yes, that makes sense, when do the Americans plan to visit the girl?'

  The gravel voice assumed a tone of suspicion.

  'As you might guess, they would like an officer available as soon as possible, right now in fact.'

  'I suppose that they really want their book back! Maybe there is a large library fine outstanding on it!'

  Although Visser acknowledged the humour, his gruff voice betrayed the fact that he was uneasy about the request.

  'Let's get this dealt with quickly, they will meet you at the girl's address, which of course you already know. I have confirmed with them that I will send an officer and you now seem to be the perfect choice.'

  He broke off for emphasis, 'Pieter, be careful on this, I don't want it turning into a diplomatic incident. This is strictly a personal favour for the Americans and not sanctioned by our Superintendent and certainly not by the Chief of Police, so, both our necks are on the block if this turns out to be more than it appears to be! If anything seems wrong just remember who you work for, let me know as soon as this is over.'

  'Don't worry Chief; I'll take care of it. I'll call you later!'

  'Thank you Pieter, and one last thing, wear your uniform. They want a visible police escort rather than a just an official ID card, look smart eh? Tot ziens.'

  The line went dead and Pieter van Riel looked at his handset as he conceded to himself that the connection with the girl did seem quite odd, however, he decided that it might be useful to be involved in whatever this was right from the outset; better to contain events than to hear about them on the nightly news round-up.

  At around a quarter to four in the late afternoon, Dale hopped lightly off a tram and onto the pavement as he consulted a small yellow note pad on which he had scribbled some address directions. Shivering slightly from the sudden exposure to the cold wind and the light fall of dry snow, he scanned the area and headed off to a side street where he expected to find both Gertrude Verker's apartment and a waiting police officer.

  Wandering along the pavement, he could see the white roof of a Politie vehicle parked farther along and hastened to approach it, hoping that everything had been taken care of by Chief Inspector Visser. Puffs of white vapour from the rear of the car indicated that the engine was running, at least keeping the two officers inside warmer than Dale felt right now and as he reached the kerbside passenger door he could see the occupants cheerily chatting with each other. He knocked on the window to gain their attention and then took one step back; the window buzzed down.

  'Wat kan ik u helpen?'

  Clasping his gloved hands together in a muffled clap and without even attempting to converse in Dutch, Dale nodded as he responded somewhat unsurely.

  'Hi, I'm Dale Mallory from the US Embassy, were you sent to assist me?'

  The Inspector had a friendly freckled face topped off with a neatly trimmed mop of strawberry blonde hair and he smiled broadly, nodding and instantly switching to English.

  'Ah, yes, I am Inspector van Riel, give me just one moment please.'

  He turned to the driver and told him to wait, indicating that he would not be long.

  Dale stood back another step as Pieter slipped out of the car and placed his police cap upon his head, fidgeting with it slightly to get it comfortable.

  'Are you ready?'

  'Do you know which apartment it is?' asked Dale, looking about. 'I have the address but don't know exactly where it is.'

  Pieter grinned again and pointed to a black painted entrance door with a panel to one side containing a series of buttons and labels.

  'Of course, just here, apartment 51C. I assume that Miss Verker is expecting us?'

  Stopping a moment to look at the entrance door, Dale swivelled about to answer with a somewhat
embarrassed tone.

  'Actually, no, I didn't call ahead. I just arrived here as soon as I could. I figured that if she's at home then I'd catch her and if not, then I'd have to follow up anyway.'

  He shrugged non-committedly.

  'Very well,' nodded the Inspector, 'would you like me to do the introductions? Who shall I say you are working for?'

  The question had fazed Dale for a second and he had to think for the appropriate answer.

  'I'm just an embassy official, a liaison officer. You do know that we're here to pick up a stolen book, right?'

  'Yes, I understand, I believe it was stolen from one of your museums, not so?'

  Pieter pursed his lips and nodded with a slight grin on his face.

  'Right,' Dale nodded back, aware that Inspector van Riel of the Dutch Police may have been humouring him a little too much, 'and once we have the book we can all go home.'

  'Quite so!'

  Pieter buzzed the bell for apartment 51C and they waited in silence for a few seconds before the tinny speaker crackled into life and a female voice asked something in Dutch.

  Although Dale had a working grasp of the language, he could not make out the barely audible words emanating from the panel and he looked at Pieter questioningly before the Inspector leaned down and responded into the small microphone aperture.

  Whatever he had said, it must have assured the girl as the electronic lock buzzed noisily and Dale stood aside as Inspector van Riel pushed the door open and entered.

  They climbed the steps to the first floor and as they neared the landing a door swung open, framing a tall and attractive red haired young woman as she appeared from her apartment to greet them.

  'Inspector van Riel, I thought our appointment was for next week, didn't you say Tuesday at four o'clock?'

  Pieter became conciliatory and nodded in affirmation.

  'Yes, sorry Miss Verker, you are quite correct, however, this visit concerns an entirely different matter.'

  He side-stepped on the narrow landing so that she could see Dale.

  'This is Mr. Mallory from the American Embassy here in The Hague and he needs to speak with you, may we come in to have a quick chat?'

  Gertrude's face assumed a look of suspicion and Pieter quickly moved to assure her.

  'There is nothing to worry about; you are not in any trouble. Shall we go inside?'

  He nodded through the door into the gallery kitchen.

  Smiling weakly, Gertrude stood back, holding the door open flat against the wall to allow them to pass, pointing inside to guide them.

  'Straight through the kitchen and turn right into the living room. Would you like a coffee?'

  Pieter removed his cap and waved it back over his shoulder in acknowledgement.

  'Yes, that would be very nice. Mr. Mallory?'

  Dale looked at Pieter and then turned to smile at Gertrude.

  'Yes, thanks, black no sugar.'

  A few minutes later, Gertrude brought in a tray of steaming coffee mugs some creamer and a small dish of sugar, she indicated a low table to Dale who grasped her meaning and dragged it into the space between the two sofas set at right angles in the room, allowing her to put the tray down and place each mug onto a cork coaster.

  Slinking onto a sofa all to herself, Gertrude faced her guests, indicating that they should sit down again; Dale relaxed back comfortably and Pieter bobbed down onto the sofa next to him but started shuffling forward to perch on the edge of the soft cushion, setting his cap on the padded armrest next to him.

  She spoke first, directly to Dale.

  'So, you're not here to extradite me to the United States?'

  Pieter was quick to respond, cutting off Dale as he felt him tense, about to speak.

  'Miss Verker, the American Embassy has informed us that they believe that you are in possession of a book originally stolen from one of their museums,' he raised a hand to placate her as he saw a look of concern flash across her face, 'no need to worry, there is no suggestion that you stole the book; it is understood that you have received it quite innocently.'

  He looked towards Dale, 'Mr. Mallory?'

  Taking a moment to respond, Dale fidgeted slightly and edged himself forward from his somewhat laid back position.

  'Yes, er, yes, the book is called Dirigo Lux and was taken from our Library of Congress in New York, it was noticed for sale on your internet shop and, well, we're keen to get it back.'

  The room remained quiet and Dale felt the need to fill the silence, he cleared his throat with a light cough.

  'As Inspector van Riel indicated, we know that you had nothing to do with the original theft and of course, you have received this item completely unawares that it was stolen and in light of this the US Government is willing to pay you compensation for your trouble in the safe return of the book.'

  He glanced at Pieter and looked back to Gertrude expectantly.

  'You'll be fully compensated for any financial loss.'

  Gertrude's bemused gaze flickered between Dale and Pieter.

  'I have the book, but I have already sold it, yesterday evening. The buyer will be coming to collect it next week.'

  Pre-empting Dale's response, Pieter quickly responded.

  'That is quite alright, we can speak with the buyer if you wish; we can explain what has happened and take care of that for you.'

  Dale had tensed again and leaned forward urgently.

  'You do still have the book though, right?'

  'Of course,' Gertrude shrugged, 'would you like me to get it for you?'

  She levered herself up to lean over the backrest and indicated the space behind her sofa and the large rear window.

  'It is right here!'

  Breaking into a grin, Dale felt a rush of relief. He had half expected a much more convoluted turn of events.

  'Yes, yes please, that would be great.'

  Gertrude pushed herself off her seat cushion and walk around the sofa, ducking down behind the backrest to disappear from view. Dale and Pieter heard a plastic lid being peeled back from a container and a whumping sound as books were evidently being sorted and the covers were falling flat against each other. Presently, she triumphantly held aloft a heavy looking book covered in what seemed to be suede, the colour reminiscent of creamed coffee.

  'Here it is!'

  As Gertrude walked back around the sofa and held out the book to him, Dale rested his hands on his knees in expectation. He reached out and took the offered tome and was surprised at how heavy it felt although he was quickly impressed by the tactile surface of the leather covering.

  'It's a nice book.'

  Gertrude smiled as she eased back onto her sofa, cocking one leg beneath the other.

  'Yes, and nearly three hundred years old so be very careful with it.'

  Craning over to examine the front cover, Pieter was quickly intrigued by the gilded representation of the sun on the front.

  'Your museum will be very happy now I am sure.'

  Dale stared at the book, not quite sure about the level of reverence that he was supposed to feel since his overwhelming emotion at this point was relief at being able to salvage some free time from the afternoon as he had initially planned.

  Gertrude suddenly spoke and broke his train of thought.

  'How much compensation will you pay me?'

  Taking a second to get back on track, Dale looked at the girl but his lateral vision also caught the Inspector intently staring at him.

  'Err, yes, compensation. Well, we will obviously cover your losses in terms of the cost of the book and as a show of gratitude for its return we would like to extend that to cover any inconvenience in not being able to fulfil your sale from yesterday.'

  There was no hesitation in Gertrude's response.

  'Two thousand Euros.'

  Pieter van Riel smiled but managed to stifle the small chuckle he felt warbling in his throat, the Verker girl was certainly no pushover.

  'Two thousand Euros?' Dale stammered.
'Well, that seems a little excessive, I mean, how much did you pay for the book in the first place and how much did you sell it for?'

  He really did not feel like parting with such a sum of money for an old book, even though he had been authorised to offer over twice as much. That money could be put to better use.

  'Two thousand Euros,' Gertrude stated slowly, not changing her tone or blinking as her steely gaze fixed Dale, 'that is my starting point for negotiation. It does not matter what I paid for the book, or how much I had sold it for. The important thing is that I have the book and you want it. You have not yet mentioned the reward that your museum must be offering; I would like compensation for my trouble and the reward.'

  'Miss Verker,' Dale prickled, conscious that he was being rolled over, 'this book is stolen property, we could pursue this through the courts and retrieve it without paying you a cent, we're trying to compensate you but you cannot expect to make an unwarranted profit from this situation.'

  Pieter felt rather than saw the urgent gaze of Dale boring into the side of his head as an effort was made to bring him into the conversation, however, the Inspector was not about to take sides.

  'Well, Mr. Mallory, of course, if you wish to make a legal issue out of this then your embassy is quite within its rights to make a case for the retrieval of the book, in which case I am sure that Miss Verker would follow the direction of any legal decision regarding rightful property ownership.'

  He glanced at Gertrude and she nodded acquiescence with a gentle smile.

  'However, as I understand it, this is just an informal request for co-operation and Miss Verker is quite within her rights to negotiate to cover her financial inconvenience. It seems that such an important book stolen from a large American museum would attract a reward and I do not believe that this has been mentioned yet. I am sure that you can arrive at a level of compensation agreeable to Miss Verker.'

  Although the last sentence was spoken as a statement, Dale watched the Inspector's eyebrows rise in expectation. What remained of the afternoon was slipping away again. He cleared his throat and knew that he just needed to comply to get this over and done with. He did not know why the book was wanted or needed by Jackson Revere but he had to follow instructions and he was not about to put a black mark against his record because of a failed price negotiation with money that was not even from his departmental budget. He nodded slowly.