The Cleaner (30 page)

Beyond Garrett was a window, its curtain pulled open. Through it, Quinn could see another building not far away. The roof of the neighboring building was covered with snow. And then there was the sky. Heavy, gray, and cloudy. If Quinn were to venture a guess, a particularly German sky.

But maybe that's what the sender wanted him to think. Faking a picture these days was easy. Give a halfway decent computer artist a copy of Photoshop and he could have put Garrett almost anywhere.

Of course it wasn't really the setting that mattered. It was the message that both the picture of Garrett and the one of Nate represented: 'Don't fuck with us.'

Still, if the picture hadn't been faked, there was always the possibility someone could narrow down the location. The chances were slim, but it was worth checking. Quinn opened a new message, attached the picture, then wrote:

yes, this is another request Need location in photo.

JQ

He sent it to the Mole, then downloaded each picture to his memory stick.

He caught an 8:00 a.m. flight to Brussels. That was the easy part. Getting to Burroughs was still the challenge. What Quinn needed was a conduit. Someone Burroughs could trust, or if not trust, at least not suspect of doing something out of the ordinary. Quinn knew just the man to help him out.

Finding Kenneth Murray's flat was not difficult. A simple hack job using a computer at an Internet cafe to break into the NATO personnel records and obtain Murray's home address was all it took.

Quinn located the flat, then found a quiet cafe and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Having left his gun in Berlin, he spent an hour in the afternoon securing a firearm from one of his local contacts. Once he was rearmed, there was nothing else to do. So he took a cab to Murray's apartment and let himself in.

It appeared as though Murray were living alone again. His second wife, a Flemish woman named Ingeborg, had left him several years before. Soon after, a Turkish secretary who worked at NATO had moved in. But there was no sign of her presence now.

The flat had a definite male feel.The living room was dominated by a large television. Murray liked sports, that much Quinn remembered. American sports, football and baseball mainly. Along the other walls were shelves and bookcases. Souvenirs of Murray's many postings shared space with rows of books, few of which Murray had probably read. The great philosophers section. The historical section. The sensitive man section. Each designed to impress, whether it be a coworker, a boss, or a date.

Quinn moved into the kitchen. It was neat and organized. Not surprisingly, the refrigerator was all but empty. A bottle of chardonnay, cream for coffee. No food. Murray was one of those types who ate every meal out.

Down the hallway, on the other side of the living room, were two bedrooms. The larger contained a double bed, a black lacquer dresser, and an elaborate stereo cabinet that housed a top-of-the-line audio system.

The other room was a home office complete with desk, computer, printer, and scanner. Murray's private lair and, apparently, a room he never shared with anyone. Neatness here was no longer necessary. Stacks of papers, files, and books everywhere.

Quinn thought about switching on the computer and getting onto the net so he could make another attempt at the FTP site, but there was a good chance someone somewhere monitored Murray's surfing activities. Murray wasn't the most important man at NATO, but he was important enough to draw interest from several different directions.

Quinn returned to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of wine, then carried it into the living room. He found the remote and switched on the TV.

No sense being bored all afternoo
n,
he thought as he settled down in one of Murray's chairs.

Kenneth Murray returned home at ten minutes past eight that evening. His hairline had receded a bit since Quinn had seen him last, but otherwise he was the same old Murray, blessed with one of those faces that blended easily into crowds. Not too tall, not too short. He was the perfect go-between man.

Half an hour earlier, Quinn had turned off the TV. He was sitting in the darkened living room, finishing off a second glass of wine, when the door opened. At first, Murray didn't notice Quinn as he entered the flat and turned on the light. Humming softly to himself, he placed his keys in a ceramic bowl on a stand next to the door, then turned toward his living room.

'Working late?' Quinn asked.

Murray slammed back against the door in surprise. He sucked in air, trying to catch his breath. 'Who the hell are you?'

'It hasn't been that long, has it, Ken?'

Murray's eyes grew wide. 'Quinn.'

'How are you doing?'

On two prior jobs, Murray had served as a secondary contact for Quinn. On each occasion they had met only once: the first time during a soccer game in Ostend, the second time over dinner in a cafe near Murray's previous apartment. Murray had struck Quinn as the nervous type. All talk when it came to impressing the women, but little substance when it came to any real action.

Somehow he had gotten it into his mind that Quinn killed people for a living. Quinn had decided not to set him straight. Both times they met, Murray had seemed to want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

'What are you doing here?' Murray asked.

'I thought maybe we could have a chat.'

Murray's eyes darted toward the kitchen, then toward the back hall. 'Are you alone?' 'For the moment.' The reply did little to ease the tension in Murray's

face. 'What do you want to talk about?'

Quinn casually stood up. As he did so, Murray backed away a few feet along the wall. 'Please, Ken. What do you think's going on here?' Quinn asked. 'Do you think I want to hurt you?'

'I don't know what you want to do,' Murray said. 'But I'm pretty familiar with what you can do.'

'We're on the same side, buddy. I just came to talk.' Quinn nodded toward the couch. 'Have a seat. I'll get you a glass of wine. Okay?'

'I'm fine.'

'It'll help you relax.'

Quinn waited until Murray broke away from the wall and sat down. 'See?' said Quinn. 'That wasn't so hard.'

He walked into the kitchen and pulled the bottle of wine out of the refrigerator. From an overhead cupboard he removed a wineglass and carried it and the bottle into the living room. He sat back down in the chair he'd been in when Murray arrived and poured a generous amount of wine into the glass.

'Here.' He held it out to Murray. 'It's good. I've had some myself.'

Murray took the glass. With only the slightest hesitation, he raised it to his lips and took a big gulp.

'Better?' Quinn asked, as he sat back down.

Murray nodded slightly. 'Are you going to tell

me what you want now?' 'Just talk.' 'That's it?' 'That depends on the talk.' Murray took another drink. 'Are you here to

kill me?'

'I don't kill people. Not unless I really need to.' Quinn cocked his head. 'Is there a reason I should need to?'

Murray shook his head vigorously. 'No.' 'Okay, then. You've got nothing to worry about.' Murray relaxed a little more. 'You know,' he said,

still with an undertone of nervousness, 'you really

scared the shit out of me.' Quinn remained silent. 'I mean, I thought maybe you were a burglar or

something.' Quinn still said nothing. 'I'm glad you're not.' 'I'm glad I'm not, too.' 'So.' Murray gave him a weak smile. 'What do

you need?' 'I'm looking for someone.' 'Who?' 'Somebody who works at NATO. He probably

came on recently.' 'What's his name?' 'Burroughs.' 'Mark Burroughs?' Murray asked, eyes widening. 'I take it you know him.' 'I can't help you,' Murray said quickly. 'That's disappointing.'

'Burroughs is into a lot of heavy stuff here. He's untouchable. I've been able to steer clear of him, and I really don't want to change that.'

Quinn leaned close, his face only a few feet from Murray's. 'And I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell anyone about that little incident in Lisbon you told me about.' Reflexively, Murray recoiled. 'Are you going to help me or not?'

Murray closed his eyes. 'Goddamn it, Quinn. Why the hell did you have to pick me?'

Quinn smiled. 'Because I knew I could count on you.'

After several phone calls, Murray learned that Burroughs was having dinner at Duquois, a small upscale restaurant downtown. 'There,' Murray said after he wrote the restaurant's address down and handed it to Quinn. 'Have a nice talk.'

'I think you may have misunderstood something, Ken,' Quinn said. 'You're coming with me.'

'No, I'm not,' Murray said.

Quinn smiled. 'Yes. You are.'

Chapter 29

A taxi dropped Quinn off one street away from Duquois thirty minutes later. He made a twosquare-block inspection of the area surrounding the restaurant to be sure there wasn't anyone waiting for him to arrive. All appeared quiet.

Once inside the restaurant, he was shown to a table near the front door. He ordered a glass of mineral water and a stuffed mushroom appetizer. There was no need to look for Burroughs. Quinn had seen him the moment he walked in.

The spook was sitting in the far corner near the back. Quinn noticed that Burroughs's taste in companions hadn't changed. Burroughs liked them tall, he liked them blonde, and he liked them fake. He liked them young, too. Tonight's date couldn't have been more than twenty-four, at least a quarter century younger than Burroughs. The man himself hadn't changed, either. His unnatural tan was still capped by dyed black hair. As usual, he was wearing an expensive, European-tailored suit.

He and his date seemed to be near the end of their main course. Quinn watched as a busboy approached their table and removed some dishes. A moment later a waiter brought over an unopened bottle of wine. He showed it to Burroughs, who nodded. While the waiter opened the wine, Burroughs returned to his conversation with the woman.

Quinn turned away when he heard the front door to the restaurant open. It was Murray. He stood nervously near the front, waiting to be helped. He started to glance toward Quinn but stopped himself, obviously realizing it wasn't a good idea. A moment later, the maitre d' looked up. Quinn watched as Murray spoke to the man, then they both glanced toward Burroughs.

The maitre d' turned back to Murray and asked a question. Murray replied, then slipped him some euros. This seemed to satisfy the maitre d', as he smiled and pocketed the bills. He held a hand up indicating for Murray to wait, then walked across the restuarant toward Burroughs.

When he reached the table, the maitre d' leaned down and whispered something in Burroughs's ear, pointing back toward Murray. Burroughs looked over, and Murray gave him a little wave. The look on Burroughs's face was not pleasant. He turned his attention to his date, said a few words, then stood up and followed the maitre d' back across the restaurant.

Once the two had passed him, Quinn placed enough money to cover his bill on the table, then rose and followed at a reasonable distance.

'What do you want?' Burroughs asked as soon as he reached Murray.

Quinn continued past them, stopping at the dessert counter and leaning forward to examine the cakes. He was just close enough to hear them.

'I'm Kenneth Murray. Strategic planning.' 'I know who you are,' Burroughs said. 'Why are you interrupting my dinner?'

Murray paused, no doubt uncomfortable that Burroughs knew his identity. 'There's an emergency that needs your attention,' he finally managed to eke out.

'What kind of emergency?'

'I don't know. I was still at the office, so I got volunteered for the run.'

'Why didn't someone just call me?'

'I was told it was too sensitive. It's got to be face-to-face.'

Burroughs seemed to ponder this. 'Okay. We're face-to-face. Give me whatever it is you've brought.'

'I'm not really the messenger. I got volunteered to be the chauffeur,' Murray said, sticking to the script Quinn had worked out for him. 'The information's with the captain in the car. I thought it would be less conspicuous if I came in. You know, instead of someone in a uniform.'

Burroughs scowled. 'Are you parked close by?'

'Across the street.'

'Hold on.' He turned and walked back to his table.

As soon as Burroughs was gone, Quinn looked at Murray, giving him the barest of nods. Murray looked like he was about to crumble. Quinn glanced over his shoulder and saw that

Burroughs was talking to the blonde, no doubt telling her he'd be back in a few minutes. That was Quinn's cue to leave.

A few minutes later, Quinn could hear their footsteps on the cobblestones. He was sitting in the passenger seat of Murray's car, back straight, like a good military messenger. He'd had Murray park as far as possible from any streetlights. While he could see them approaching on the sidewalk, they would only be able to make out his shadowy form in the car.

He waited until they were only a few feet away, then opened the door and got out.

'All right, Captain,' Burroughs began. 'I understand you have something for –' Burroughs stopped and stared at Quinn. 'Who the hell are you?' He turned and looked at Murray. 'What's going on here?'

'We've met before,' Quinn said.

Burroughs stiffened. 'We have?' Burroughs's eyes narrowed. 'I do know you, don't I?' he asked. 'Manila?'

'No. Montevideo,' Quinn said.

Burroughs began to nod. 'Ramos.'

'That's right.'

'You're Quinn.'

'Right again.'

'What do you want?'

'Why don't you get in the car? We'll have a little

more privacy in there.' Burroughs took a step backward, his eyes narrowing. 'I don't think so.' Quinn pulled his gun out of his pocket. 'It may have sounded like it, but it wasn't actually a request.' ** *

Murray drove around Brussels, while Quinn sat in back with Burroughs. 'They're going to come looking for me soon,' Burroughs said. 'You'll both be in deep shit.'

Quinn looked at him. 'Does it look like I care?'

'What do you want?'

'An exchange of information.'