The English Assassin

  Isherwood did as he was told. The man opened the back door of the truck and a cloud of dense smoke billowed forth. Crouched in the back, a picture of misery, was Ari Shamron.

  THEman in the Rover sedan had moved from Jermyn Street to King Street, which was still well within the one-mile range of the transmitters he had placed in the gallery, but it had been some time since he had heard any sound at all. Indeed, the last thing he had monitored was the art dealer asking his secretary to get him lunch. It had struck him as odd, since the dealer had eaten lunch out every day since the man had been watching him. So odd, in fact, that he had made a notation of the time in his logbook. Forty-five minutes after that, a burst of raw static came over his car radio. Someone had just found his transmitters. He swore softly and quickly started the car. As he drove away, he picked up his mobile phone and dialed Zurich.

  THEHoek van Holland-to-Harwich ferry was delayed several hours by heavy weather in the North Sea, and so it was late afternoon by the time Gabriel and Anna Rolfe pulled into Mason’s Yard. Gabriel gave two short blasts of the horn, and the door of the loading bay slowly rose. Once inside, he shut down the engine and waited for the door to close again before getting out of the car. He removed the large safe-deposit box from the backseat and led Anna through the storeroom to the lift. Isherwood was waiting there.

  “You must be Anna Rolfe! It is an honor to meet you, truly. I had the distinct privilege of seeing you perform an evening of Mendelssohn once. It was a deeply moving experience.”

  “You’re very kind.”

  “Won’t you please come inside?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Is he here yet?” Gabriel asked.

  “Upstairs in the exposition room.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “What’s in the box?”

  “In a minute, Julian.”

  Shamron stood in the center of the room, smoking his vile Turkish cigarettes, completely oblivious to the Old Masters canvases surrounding him. Gabriel could see that the old man was wrestling with his memory. A year earlier, in this very room, they had set in motion the final stage of an operation that ended in the death of Tariq al-Hourani. When he saw Anna Rolfe enter the room, his face brightened, and he shook her hand warmly.

  Gabriel placed the safe-deposit box on the floor and lifted the lid. Then he removed the first painting, unwrapped it, and laid it on the floor.

  “My God,” Isherwood whispered. “A Monet landscape.”

  Anna smiled. “Wait, it gets better.”

  Gabriel removed the next canvas, a van Gogh self-portrait, and laid it next to the Monet.

  “Oh, good heavens,” murmured Isherwood.

  Then came the Degas, then the Bonnard, then the Cézanne and the Renoir, and on it went until the sixteen canvases stretched the length of the gallery. Isherwood sat down on the divan, pressed his palms against his temples, and wept.

  Shamron said, “Well, that’s quite an entrance. The floor is yours, Gabriel.”

  ANNAhad heard it all during the drive from Zurich to the German border, so she stepped away and consoled Isherwood while he gazed at the paintings. Gabriel covered everything he had learned about Augustus Rolfe and his collection, concluding with the letter Rolfe had left in the safe-deposit box in Zurich. Then he told Shamron his plan for recovering the rest of Rolfe’s collection: the twenty works that were stolen from the vault at his villa in Zurich. When Gabriel finished, Shamron crushed out his cigarette and slowly shook his head.

  “It’s an interesting idea, Gabriel, but it has one fatal flaw. The prime minister will never approve it. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a virtual war with the Palestinians now. The prime minister will never approve an operation like this in order to recover a few paintings.”

  “It’s more than a few paintings. Rolfe is hinting at the existence of an organization of Swiss bankers and businessmen who would do anything to protect the old order. And we certainly have the evidence to suggest they exist, including three dead bodies: Rolfe, Müller, and Emil Jacobi. And they tried to kill me.”

  “The situation is too explosive. Our fickle friends here in Europe are angry enough at us right now. We don’t need to pour gasoline on the flames with this kind of operation. I’m sorry, Gabriel, but I won’t approve it, and I won’t waste the prime minister’s time by asking him.”

  Anna had left Isherwood’s side in order to listen to the debate between Gabriel and Shamron. “I think there’s a rather simple solution to the problem, Mr. Shamron,” she said.

  Shamron twisted his bald head around to look at Anna, amused that the Swiss violinist would dare to venture an opinion on the course of an Israeli intelligence operation.

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t tell the prime minister.”

  Shamron threw back his head and laughed, and Gabriel joined him. When the laughter died away, there was a moment of silence, broken by Julian Isherwood.

  “Dear God, I don’t believe it!”

  He was holding the Renoir, a portrait of a young girl with a bouquet of flowers. He was turning it over in his hands, looking at the painting, then the back of the canvas.

  Gabriel said, “What is it, Julian?”

  Isherwood held the Renoir so that Gabriel and the others could see the image. “The Germans were meticulous record-keepers. Every painting they took was sorted, catalogued and marked—swastika, serial number, initials of the collector or dealer from whom it was confiscated.”

  He turned the canvas over to reveal the back. “Someone tried to remove the markings from this one, but they didn’t do a terribly good job of it. Look closely at the bottom left corner. There’s the remnants of the swastika, there’s the serial number, and there are the initials of the original owner:SI. ”

  “Who’s SI?” Anna asked.

  “SIis Samuel Isakowitz, my father.” Isherwood’s voice choked with tears. “This painting was taken from my father’s gallery on the rue de la Boétie in Paris by the Nazis in June of 1940.”

  “You’re certain?” Anna asked.

  “I’d stake my life on it.”

  “Then please accept it, along with the deepest apologies of the Rolfe family.” Then she kissed his cheek and said, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Isherwood.”

  Shamron looked at Gabriel. “Why don’t you walk me through it one more time.”

  THEYwent downstairs to Isherwood’s office. Gabriel sat behind Isherwood’s desk, but Shamron prowled the room as he listened to Gabriel’s plan again.

  “And what shall I tell the prime minister?”

  “Listen to Anna. Tell him nothing.”

  “And if it blows up in my face?”

  “It won’t.”

  “Things like this always blow up in my face, Gabriel, and I have the scars to prove it. So do you. Tell me something. Is it my imagination, or is there a little more spring in your step tonight?”

  “You want to ask me a question?”

  “I don’t wish to sound indelicate.”

  “That’s never stopped you before.”

  “Are you and this woman more than just accomplices in the search for her father’s killer?” When silence greeted his question, Shamron smiled and shook his head. “Do you remember what you said to me about Anna Rolfe on the Piazza Navona?”

  “I told you that, given a choice, we would never use a woman like her.”

  “And now you want to involve her more deeply?”

  “She can handle it.”

  “I have no doubts abouther, but canyou handle it, Gabriel?”

  “I wouldn’t suggest it if I felt otherwise.”

  “Two weeks ago, I had to beg you to look into Rolfe’s death. Now you want to wage war against Switzerland.”

  “Rolfe wanted those paintings to come to us. Someone took them, and now I want them back.”

  “But your motivation goes beyond the paintings, Gabriel. I turned you into a killer, but in your heart, you’re the restorer. I think you’re doing this because you want
to restore Anna Rolfe. If that’s the case, then the next logical question is this: Why does he want to restore Anna Rolfe? And there’s only one logical answer. He has feelings for the woman.” Shamron hesitated. “And that’s the best news I’ve heard in a very long time.”

  “I care for her.”

  “If you care for her, you’ll convince her to cancel her appearance in Venice.”

  “She won’t cancel.”

  “If that’s the case, then perhaps we can use it to our advantage.”

  “How so?”

  “I’ve always found deception and misdirection to be useful tactics in a situation like this. Let her give her concert. Just make certain your friend Keller doesn’t make the recital a truly unforgettable experience.”

  “Now, that’s the Ari Shamron I know and love. Use one of the world’s finest musicians as a diversion.”

  “We play the cards we’re dealt.”

  “I’m going to be with her in Venice. I want someone I can trust to handle the Zurich end of things.”

  “Who?”

  “Eli Lavon.”

  “My God, a reunion of the Class of ’72! If I were a few years younger, I’d join you.”

  “Let’s not get carried away. Oded and Mordecai did well in Paris. I want them too.”

  “I see something of myself in Oded.” Shamron held up his stubby bricklayer’s hands. “He has a very powerful grip. If he gets hold of this man, he won’t get away.”

  34

  ZURICH

  EVA HAD INSISTEDon the expensive flat overlooking the Zürichsee, despite the fact that it was beyond the reach of Gerhardt Peterson’s government salary. For the first ten years of their marriage, they’d made up the shortfall by dipping into her inheritance. Now that money was gone, and it had fallen upon Gerhardt to keep her in the style to which she felt entitled.

  The flat was dark when he finally arrived home. As Peterson stepped through the doorway, Eva’s amiable Rottweiler charged him in the pitch dark and drove his rocklike head into Peterson’s kneecap.

  “Down, Schultzie! That’s enough, boy. Down! Damn you, Schultzie!”

  He fumbled along the wall and switched on the light. The dog was licking his suede shoe.

  “All right, Schultzie. Go away, please. That’s quite enough.”

  The dog trotted off, claws clicking on the marble.

  Peterson limped into the bedroom, rubbing his knee. Eva was sitting up in bed with a hardcover novel open on her lap. An American police drama played silently on the television. She wore a chiffon-colored dressing gown. Her hair was freshly coiffed, and there was a gold bracelet on her left wrist that Peterson didn’t recognize. The money Eva spent on the surface of the Bahnhofstrasse rivaled the funds buried beneath it.

  “What’s wrong with your knee?”

  “Your dog attacked me.”

  “He didn’tattack you. He adores you.”

  “He’s too affectionate.”

  “He’s a man, like you. He wants your approval. If you’d just give him a little attention now and again, he wouldn’t be so exuberant when you come home.”

  “Is that what his therapist told you?”

  “It’s common sense, darling.”

  “I never wanted the damned dog. He’s too big for this flat.”

  “He makes me feel safe when you’re away.”

  “This place is like a fortress. No one can get in here. And the only person Schultzie ever attacks is me.”

  Eva licked the tip of her forefinger and turned the page of her novel, ending the discussion. On the television, the American detectives were breaking down the door of a flat in a poor tenement. As they burst into the room, a pair of suspects opened fire with automatic weapons. The policemen fired back, killing the suspects.Such violence, thought Peterson. He rarely carried a gun and had never fired one in the line of duty.

  “How was Bern?”

  Peterson had lied to her to cover up his visit to see Otto Gessler. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes.

  “Bern was Bern.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “What are you reading?”

  “I don’t know. A story about a man and a woman.”

  He wondered why she bothered. “How are the girls?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “And Stefan?”

  “He made me promise that you would come into his room and kiss him good night.”

  “I don’t want to wake him.”

  “You won’t wake him. Just go in and kiss his head.”

  “If I don’t wake him, what difference will it make? In the morning, I’ll tell him that I kissed him while he was asleep, and he’ll be none the wiser.”

  Eva closed her book and looked at him for the first time since he had entered the room. “You look terrible, Gerhardt. You must be famished. Go make yourself something to eat.”

  He padded into the kitchen.Go make yourself something to eat. He couldn’t remember the last time Eva had offered to fix him a meal. He had expected that once the sexual intimacy was gone between them, other things would rise in its place, like the pleasure of sharing a home-cooked meal. But not with Eva. First she’d chained the door to her body; then to her affections. Peterson was an island in his own home.

  He opened the refrigerator and picked through a desert of half-empty takeaway containers for something that hadn’t spoiled or grown a beard of mold. In one grease-spotted carton, he struck gold: a little mound of noodle and bacon raclette. On the bottom shelf, hidden behind a container of green ricotta cheese, lay two eggs. He scrambled them and heated the raclette in the microwave. Then he poured himself a very large glass of red wine and walked back into the bedroom. Eva was buffing her toenails.

  He divided his food carefully, so that with each bite of egg he would have an accompanying scoop of raclette. Eva found this habit annoying, which partially explained why he did it. On the television there was more mayhem. Friends of the slain criminals had now avenged their comrades’ death by killing the police detectives. More evidence of Herr Gessler’s theory of life’s circular quality.

  “Stefan has a soccer match tomorrow.” She blew on her toes. “He’d like you to come.”

  “I can’t. Something’s come up at the office.”

  “He’s going to be disappointed.”

  “I’m afraid it can’t be helped.”

  “What’s so important at the office that you can’t go see your son’s soccer game? Besides, nothing important ever happens in this country.”

  I have to arrange the murder of Anna Rolfe,he thought. He wondered how she would react if he said it aloud. He considered saying it, just to test her—to see whether she ever listened to a word he said.

  Eva finished her toes and returned to her novel. Peterson placed his empty plate and cutlery on the night table and switched off the light. A moment later, Schultzie smashed head-first through the door and began lapping the bits of egg and grease from Eva’s precious hand-painted china. Peterson closed his eyes. Eva licked the tip of her index finger and turned another page.

  “How was Bern?” she asked.

  35

  CORSICA

  NEWS OF THEENGLISHMAN’Sdark mood spread rapidly round the little valley. On market day he moved through the village square in silence, joylessly selecting his olives and his cheeses. Evenings he sat with the old ones, but he avoided conversation and refused to be baited into a game ofboule, even when his honor was called into question. So preoccupied was the Englishman that he seemed not to notice the boys on their skateboards.

  His driving was dramatically worse. He was seen tearing along the valley road in his battered jeep at unprecedented speeds. Once, he was forced to swerve to avoid the wretched goat of Don Casabianca and ended up in a ditch at the side of the road. At that point Anton Orsati intervened. He told the Englishman about an infamous feud that had taken place between two rival clans over the accidental death of a hunting dog. Four people died before peace was finally made?
??two at the hands of Orsatitaddunaghiu. It had happened a hundred years ago, but Orsati stressed that the lessons were still relevant today. His skilled use of Corsican history worked to perfection, as he knew it would. The next morning, the Englishman presented Casabianca with a large ham and apologized for frightening his goat. After that his driving was noticeably slower.

  Still, something was clearly wrong. A few of the men from the square were so concerned that they paid a visit to thesignadora. “He hasn’t been here in some time. But when he does come, you can be sure I won’t reveal his secrets to you jackasses. This house is like a confessional. Go, now!” And she chased them away with the business end of a stick broom.

  Only Don Orsati knew the source of the Englishman’s black mood. It was the assignment in Lyons; the Swiss professor called Emil Jacobi. Something about the killing had left a tear in the Englishman’s conscience. Don Orsati offered to get the Englishman a girl—a lovely Italian girl he had met in San Remo—but the Englishman refused.

  Three days after the Englishman’s return from Lyons, Don Orsati invited him to dinner. They ate in a restaurant near the square and afterward walked arm in arm through the narrow streets of the dark town. Twice, villagers appeared out of the gloom, and twice they quickly turned in the opposite direction. Everyone knew that when Don Orsati was speaking privately with the Englishman it was best to walk away. It was then that Don Orsati told him about the assignment in Venice.

  “If you want me to send one of the other boys—”

  “No,” the Englishman said quickly. “I’ll do it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “I hoped you’d say that. None of the others are truly capable of a job like this. Besides, I think you’ll enjoy the assignment. There’s a long tradition of our work in Venice. I’m sure you’ll find the setting rather inspiring.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “There’s a friend of mine there called Rossetti. He’ll give you all the help you require.”

  “You have the dossiers?”