The Roubaud Connection Read online

  “Give him time.” Francine walked into my viewing room and sat in the chair Manny had vacated. “He’ll come around.”

  “He’s pushing all Vin’s buttons, Francine.” Colin shook his head. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

  Francine rubbed her hands as if she had just put on hand lotion. Self-soothing. “Thank you for not asking what this is all about.”

  “I reckon Millard will tell us when he’s ready.” Colin sighed. “But it better be before Vin decides to punch his lights out.”

  Francine snorted. “Or before I punch his lights out.”

  Since there was nothing I could do to ease Manny’s turmoil, I turned back to my monitors. I didn’t know how long I was going to have to wait for the photos of the labels, so I decided to make use of the time. I opened the folder with the photos of Adèle’s basement. I’d been through these photos so many times, I immediately chose the ones I knew gave me the best view of the chart she’d hidden. I used all fifteen monitors to display the photos.

  “What are we looking at, girlfriend?”

  I frowned in annoyance. “Photos of Adèle’s basement.”

  She giggled. “Sorry. Yes, I know we’re looking at those photos. What I meant was, why are we looking at it again?”

  “Because something is wrong.”

  “What’s wrong, Doc?” Manny was standing in the doorway, his nonverbal cues more composed. He nodded at Colin, then leaned against the door where Vinnie usually stood.

  I frowned at the monitors. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  “What’s your gut telling you?”

  I sighed. I found it vexing when neurotypical people diminished years of experience, expert knowledge and finely tuned intuition and called it a ‘gut feeling’. I looked at all the photos from top left to bottom right. “There is something not quite right about this business model.”

  Manny grunted and breathed loudly through his nose. “Okay, why don’t you explain to me what you see, Doc?”

  “This is without a doubt the organisational chart for a company. See this central square?” I pointed at the monitor in front of me, the photo focused on the large green square. “This is the nucleus of the business. Everything else revolves around this. We assumed the FF stands for Freedom Fragrances—the name of Adèle’s company.” I continued pointing. “Here you can see the business branching in two distinct directions. To the left are the squares showing what I assume to be her distribution plan.”

  “Have you managed to decode her descriptions?”

  “No.” That was most frustrating. “I’ve come to the conclusion that she used phrases and words that were known only to her.” Again I pointed at a monitor. “See this square? She wrote ‘round cheeks in rainbow village’.”

  “What the hell?”

  “Yeah.” Colin shifted in his chair. “I also had a look at this and all of it is like this. She used descriptions that will help her remember. But we have no idea what the name of this rainbow village is.”

  “It could be a small area in the city known for gay clubs.” Francine shrugged. “Or it could be one of those quaint pedestrian streets with colourful umbrellas over the entire street.”

  “Speculating would be a waste of time.” I’d determined that very early. “We have no idea what Adèle’s frame of reference was.”

  “Hmm.” Manny scratched his chin. “You said the business branches in two directions. Explain more about the first.”

  “The distribution.” I didn’t like all this speculation. “I’m working on a supposition here since all of these squares refer to a person and a place. They are also not connected to each other, but all have their separate connections to the green square.”

  “And the second branch?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure what that is.” Even though I’d spent countless hours looking at the photos and mentally writing Mozart to help me.

  “Just tell me what you think, Doc.”

  “This might be her supplier.” I pointed at the three photos of the man. “And I think he is very important to her business model.”

  “Ah, so he’s the guy with the birthmark.” Manny stepped into the room and stopped behind Francine. He leaned a bit forward to look at the monitors with the photos. “Can’t see his face on any of these.”

  “I don’t know if Adèle did this on purpose.” I had thought about this a lot. “If she had been following him and taking these surveillance photos, surely she would’ve had an opportunity to take a better photo.”

  “She had photos of this man and of the men who’d bought the Iranian artefacts.” Manny pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. “Why would she have photos of these people and only descriptions of the other people?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I know you don’t know, Doc. It’s rhetorical.”

  “Oh. There’s also no clear indication who she used as a courier.” I’d spent an entire hour searching the photos with only that in mind.

  “We have nothing.” Manny rubbed his hands over his face. “We have so much, yet we have nothing.”

  “We have the wine bottles.”

  “And just what do you think you’re going to find on those labels, Doc?”

  “I’m not sure.” Yet there was a niggling in the back of my head. Usually this meant that my subconscious had made some connection that had not yet filtered through to my thinking brain. “But I need to study all the labels. I think it will give us valuable information.”

  “It bloody better.” He walked back to the door and leaned against it. “I’ve been trying to track down the vineyard that sent those bottles. The Iranians have not been helpful at all.”

  “See!” Francine threw both her hands in the air. “I told you how hard it is to find out anything about Iranian companies.”

  Manny raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed heavily. “At least I wasn’t trying to hack anything. I went through legal and also diplomatic channels to establish whether this company, this vineyard even exists. But everywhere I turn, I’m being stonewalled.” He glared down at me. “I’m being blocked from finding out anything or pushing for any information.”

  A notification sound came from Francine’s tablet. “Ooh! The first photos are coming through.”

  I straightened in my chair and opened my inbox. There were already three emails from Pink with attachments. I downloaded all the photos and replaced Adèle’s chart with labels of the wine bottles. I ignored Manny’s insistent questions whether I was seeing something helpful. Instead I started mentally playing Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, leaned back in my chair and studied the photos.

  Two hours later, I was still looking at the photos. Pink had taken a photo of each of the ninety-six bottles and sent them all to me. The last one had come through seven minutes ago. It had taken them a long time to have the premises cleared by the bomb squad as well as the hazardous materials team. Even though I’d been impatient, I appreciated the importance of keeping everyone safe.

  “Do you people know what the time is?” Phillip walked into my viewing room and looked at me, then at Colin and back at me.

  I nodded. “It’s twelve minutes to eight.”

  “And?” His expression was familiar.

  “I’m in danger of hyper-focusing.”

  His smile was warm. “Vinnie phoned me. He knew you would be captivated by the photos they’d sent, so he asked me to get you to go home.”

  “Has he made dinner?” Colin asked.

  “Yes.” Phillip opened the bottom drawer of one of the antique-looking cabinets at the back of my room and took my handbag from it. He held it out to me. “Time to go.”

  I glanced back at the monitors in front of me. Today had been extremely taxing. Seeing the brutality that Camille Vastine and Martin Gayot had suffered and then being chased by two vehicles that we still hadn’t identified had put immense strain on my mind. Taking a break and spending time with Eric might very well be what my mind needed t
o bring to the fore the connection I felt lingering.

  It took less than ten minutes to close down our computers and get Francine to join us. Manny gave us a feeble reason for not coming for dinner, but I could see his lie. The tension around his mouth and eyes led me to believe that he needed a short while on his own, without observant and concerned glances aimed his way.

  Dinner was uneventful and quick. Vinnie wanted to join Pink and Daniel making sure all the members of the geocaching community were safe. He also wanted to check on Jace. No sooner had Nikki taken Eric to bed and Phillip had gone home than I sat down at the table with my laptop.

  “Working?” Francine sat down next to me, holding a refilled glass of red wine.

  I opened the folder with photos of the labels and clicked on the first one. “There is something here.”

  “Okey-dokey.” She interlaced her fingers and stretched them out in front of her, then shook out her hands. “Let’s make these photos our bitches.”

  I looked at her. “I don’t know what that means.”

  She laughed and lifted her tablet from the table. “It means we two ladies are going to figure this out.”

  We didn’t. Hours later, I had looked at each photo, but had not yet made the connection.

  “I’m hungry.” Francine stretched her arms high above her head and yawned loudly. “Vinnie’s fettuccini is all burned up now.” She looked at her empty wine glass. “And I need more wine.”

  “Alcohol produces detectable impairments in memory after only a few drinks.”

  “Hah. Yeah, but it does taste good.” She got up and sighed. “I suppose I’ll make us some coffee then.”

  I returned my attention to the labels. The photos Pink had sent were of superb quality. I could see the smallest detail, including the lines in the background that formed a watermark. I enjoyed working at home, but at this moment, I wished I was in my viewing room. Being able to put fifteen different labels next to each other would’ve helped me get a better visual perspective. I flipped through the photos again, each time zooming in on the background.

  “The men need to get back now.” Francine put a steaming coffee mug next to my left hand. “Including your man.”

  I frowned. Colin wasn’t with Vinnie and the others. He’d made sure that Daniel ordered a second patrol car to protect our building. Then he’d kissed me on the forehead and told me he’d be back soon. I’d known not to ask. Colin was doing something that was in the gray area of legal.

  “You’re no fun, girlfriend. You’re not even chatting to me tonight.”

  “I never chat.”

  She lifted her coffee mug as if to toast me. “Very true.”

  “The chart doesn’t reflect Adèle’s business.”

  “Huh?” She put down her mug and looked at my computer monitor. “You’re looking at the labels. Does that have anything to do with Adèle’s chart?”

  I thought about it. “I don’t know yet.”

  She picked up the mug again and sat back in her chair. “Well, the labels are not helping us at all. There’s nothing funky on them. They all have the same wording, same name, same logo, same everything.”

  “They’re not exactly the same.” I split the monitor and put two photos next to each other, both zoomed to see the background better. “The watermark is different on this one than on the other.”

  “What?” She drew out the word as she moved closer to me. Then she looked at me until I nodded, allowing her to pull my laptop closer. She studied the monitor. “Huh. What do you know? They really look very much the same, but the lines are a bit off.”

  I pulled my computer back and zoomed in even more. “The lines are not solid. If we magnify it, you’ll see that they are broken. The difference between the labels are the breaks in the lines.”

  “You think it’s code? Like Morse code or something?”

  “It’s not Morse code.” I’d already eliminated that option. “But it means something. There are nineteen different labels with different broken lines. All ninety-six bottles have one of the nineteen labels.”

  She closed her eyes, then opened them again. “Well, my brain is fried. I’ll look at it tomorrow. If Manny doesn’t come—”

  The sound of keys turning in the front door caught her attention. Her eyes widened and a smile lifted her cheeks as Vinnie stormed into my apartment.

  “Fuck you, old man!” He looked at Francine, who was now standing, her smile gone, her expression concerned. Then he looked at me, his anger not diminishing at all. “I can’t deal with this asswipe. Do something.”

  Manny stomped into my apartment, his shoulders hunched, his lips thinned. Behind him Pink and Daniel followed, both men looking uncomfortable.

  Francine walked to Manny and pulled him towards the sitting area. “What’s cookin’, good-lookin’?”

  Manny grunted, but allowed Francine to drag him to the sofa under the window. He sat down hard, his lips thinned. Francine glanced at me, her eyebrows drawn tightly together.

  “I’m going to my room. If you guys want food, there’s the kitchen.” Vinnie glared at Pink. “Just clean the fuck up after yourself.”

  “Once, Vin. Only once did I leave three crumbs on your precious kitchen counter.” Pink chuckled, his attempt at humour failing.

  Vinnie sneered and walked to the connected apartment, the side he shared with Pink and Nikki. Pink shrugged and walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took ingredients to make sandwiches.

  I looked at Daniel as he sat down next to me. “Are all the young people safe?”

  “Yes.” He rubbed his neck and winced. “It’s been a long day, but we have everyone on the list Caelan gave to us. They are all in safe houses, under police protection for the night.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  He smiled. “Tomorrow too. They will be protected until we stop this killer.” He looked at the photos on my laptop monitor. “Did you have any luck with the photos?”

  “Nothing actionable.” I briefed him on the broken lines that made up the watermarks and the nineteen different labels.

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I don’t know yet.” I zoomed out until I could see the entire bottle. “Are all the bottles filled with liquid heroin?”

  “So far the lab has tested more than half the bottles and yes, they are all filled with thousands of euros’ worth of heroin.” He shook his head. “The potential street value in each of these bottles is staggering. I wonder if Jace knew what he’d stumbled onto.”

  Once again, the sound of keys in the front door drew our attention. Manny got up and reached for his gun holstered under his arm.

  The door opened and he dropped his hand, but his expression hardened. “Where the bleeding hell have you been?”

  Colin winced, then sighed. The relaxed triumph that I’d seen on his face when he’d first opened the door was replaced with resignation. “Good evening, Millard.”

  “What the blazes have you been up to, Frey?” Manny walked closer and glared at Colin’s black outfit, his flexible sneakers and the black gloves still covering his hands. “And what the bleeding hell do you have in those bags?”

  Colin walked to the table, put the two large sports bags on the floor and leaned over to kiss me. He nodded at Daniel and turned back to Manny, pointing to the bags. “In there you will find a few artefacts that are reportedly part of the Oxus treasure. There are also two small paintings, a marble statue and three beautiful bronze works that I’m sure the British Museum would love to have back. They were quite worried when they received an anonymous call and then discovered a few of their prize artefacts on display had been replaced by brilliant 3D facsimiles.”

  Manny’s eyes were wide and his nostrils flared. “What have you done?”

  “I visited a few old friends.” Colin was enjoying this. He had broken the law and now he was flaunting it in front of Manny. And Manny wasn’t handling this well. At all. Colin smirked. “Remember those four men I identi
fied in the photos? Well, I visited them while they were sleeping and took the things that didn’t belong to them.”

  “Fucking hell, Frey!” Manny walked to the front door, turned around and walked back, his scowl deepening as he neared. He shook his index finger at Colin, then walked away again.

  “Colin.” Daniel frowned at the sports bags. “Are you sure all these are stolen?”

  “Oh, yes.” Colin went down on his haunches and unzipped one bag. With his gloved hand, he carefully took out a bubble-wrapped shape, no bigger than the palm of his hand. “I made sure these babies will get back to their homes unharmed.”

  Francine joined us as we watched Colin unwrap the shape until he held a small statue of a gold fish in his hands. “This, my lovely family, is the gold fish vessel that should be on show at the moment with all his mates from the Oxus treasure.”

  “All of them stolen?” Daniel asked again.

  This time Colin wasn’t glib. “One hundred percent sure. You can take the bags as is and log them in as evidence. The moment the museums find out you have this, they will put in their claims. That is, if the insurance companies don’t get wind of it first.”

  “I think I’ll do just that.” Daniel reached into a side pocket in his uniform trousers and came out with two latex gloves. Manny joined us, but didn’t say anything. Once Daniel covered his hands, he took the statue from Colin and rewrapped it. “Nothing that will point back to you?”

  “I’ll pretend you didn’t just say that.” Colin got up and winked at him. “This is all yours.”

  “I can’t believe you people! If no one is going to ask for the deets, I will.” Francine pushed past Manny and poked Colin in the chest with her nail. “Tell me everything. All the dirty little details.”

  “Don’t.” Daniel got up. “Let me take this and leave. I want deniability.”

  “Spoilsport.” Francine smiled at Daniel and watched as he walked to the door. The moment the door closed behind him, she turned back to Colin. “So?”

  The effort it was costing Manny not to give in to his anger was visible. At least to me. I watched as he controlled his breathing, his fingers tightening in fists and relaxing, only to tighten once again until his knuckles were white. He was looking at Colin, waiting for him to reply to Francine.