‘What about Tamarov?’
‘What about Tamarov? Go back to your paints and charcoals. He’s just sussing you out. Can’t you see that? He’s sussing both of us out. These guys, they value loyalty and honour above everything else. You make friends with him and he’ll become fucking depraved if he realizes what we’re up to. A man like Tamarov is either your best fucking friend in the world or the worst mistake you ever made. That’s what I need you to bear in mind so that you don’t fuck this thing up.’
‘You should get out of this,’ Ben said calmly. ‘I can see you’re not…’
Mark flashed him a look of contempt.
‘Drop it,’ he hissed.
‘All I said was that d’Erlanger went to Moscow. That’s all I came in here to tell you.’
‘And?’ Mark’s hand was coiled into a fist, leaning on the bathroom sink. ‘You think that’s big news? What do you think MI5 do all day if they’re not tracking — ’
He did well to stop talking as quickly as he did. The internal door of the bathroom had shifted fractionally in a movement of air created by someone entering on the other side. When Tamarov came into the room his eyes narrowed in the brighter light and he stopped in his tracks. He looked first at Mark, then at Ben, and said, ‘Everything OK?"
Ben let his brother do the talking.
‘Oh, fine,’ Mark replied. ‘Fine. We’re just having a chat about one of the girls. You all right, Vladimir?’
‘Not too bad,’ Tamarov said, standing with his back to them at the urinal.
‘Good.’
‘So you like one of the girls?’
He had twisted his neck round and directed the question at Ben.
‘That’s right,’ Ben replied, falling gratefully in to the lie. His pulse was sprinting like rain and he hardly dared look at Mark. ‘Her name’s Ayesha. The one with Philippe. She’s nice, eh?’
‘Very beautiful, yes. I could tell you liked her. We are talking, Mark, and your brother is very interesting on the subject of modern art. But his eyes they keep moving to this girl. He cannot take them off her.’ Tamarov laughed, zipping up his flies. ‘But you have a problem, I think. Philippe is very drunk and he is carrying a lot of cash. You will have trouble persuading her to leave him.’
Ben smiled — though it looked to Mark more like a grimace — and did his best to keep up the charade.
‘Oh, that’s OK,’ he said. ‘One dance is enough for me. Besides, I’m married, Vladimir, and that American girl took me a bit by surprise.’
‘Yes,’ Tamarov said, washing his hands at the sink. ‘By surprise. Perhaps this is what you were talking about when I came in.’
There was a dreadful silence, the sound of taps and muffled music, and they left the bathroom together. Mark allowed Ben to walk ahead of them and tried to gather his composure. They were at a set of double doors leading backinto the club when Tamarov took hold of his arm.
‘Come with me to the bar,’ he said. ‘I want to speak to you in private.’
‘Sure,’ Mark replied coolly. He desperately wanted water, ice, something to take the dryness from the roof of his mouth. They were moving through the darkened VIP area, Ben up ahead and girls on all sides dancing in the laps of half-hidden men.
‘What will you have?’ Tamarov asked him at the bar.
‘Just something soft,’ Mark replied. He was still irritated by Ben. ‘I have to be up early in the morning.’
Tamarov ordered two Cokes and jerked his head contemptuously in Macklin’s direction.
‘Thomas must also be awake early tomorrow,’ he said, looking across at the table. ‘We have important series of meetings on Saturday, no? But I think he does not care.’
‘Oh, Tom’s all right,’ Mark said, thinking that a display of loyalty would play in his favour. ‘He just likes a drink from time to time. Likes to let his hair down.’
The barman set down two Cokes on the bar and Tamarov paid him with a stiff fifty-pound note. Then he trained his eyes on Mark, saying, ‘What has he told you about me? About who I am?’
Mark didn’t flinch.
‘That you’re a lawyer.’
‘But by now you understand how business works in my country? You understand that in order for your operation to succeed it has been necessary for Thomas and Sebastian to make certain arrangements?’
‘Sure,’ Mark said casually. ‘I understand that.’
Tamarov moved his mouth slowly from side to side, like a man tasting expensive wine.
‘So I want to speak to you privately today because we have not met before tonight and there are matters on my conscience that I need to discuss with you.’
‘On your conscience,’ Mark repeated.
‘Let me be clear.’ Tamarov straightened his back and swallowed a mouthful of Coke. ‘Your father was working for Sebastian at the time of his death. I am aware of this. We were all aware of it. This is how business is done.’
‘I’m not sure I’m following you.’
‘What I want to say is this.’ Now he reached out and put his hand on the shoulder of Mark’s jacket. It was like being touched by a priest. ‘When I heard about your father’s murder, I was shocked. It came to me as a surprise. It came to all of us as a surprise. Do you understand what I am telling you?’
For a time there was nothing between them but pop music and distant, idle chatter. Girls in peripheral vision and Mark calculating all the time. Under pressure, he made a decision.
‘Vladimir, if you’re trying to tell me that you work for Viktor Kukushkin, that you’re one of his lawyers, then that doesn’t surprise me. I’m a big boy. My father told me about Kukushkin’s organization and, to be honest with you, on my trips to Moscow with Tom, I put two and two together.’
Tamarov flattened down the dried curls at the back of his neckand seemed relieved to have cleared the air.
‘I appreciate your frankness,’ he said. ‘But I am trying to tell you something more than this.’
Now Mark did not respond. It was something Quinn had talked about at the safe house. Page One, Rule One: If you don’t know what’s going on, keep your fucking mouth shut.
Tamarov leaned forward.
‘I must ask you a personal question,’ he said. ‘I hope that you will not be offended by it.’
‘Go on.’
‘It is only that I hope you do not feel that my client was in any way involved in what happened…’
‘Jesus, no.’ Mark could not tell if the lie rang hollow. ‘Christ, that thought never occurred to me. You think I’d still be working for Libra if I thought they had anything to do with what happened? You think I’d drink with you at this bar?’
‘Then I am very relieved.’ Tamarov swayed back and removed his hand from Mark’s shoulder. ‘This has been a burden for me tonight, and for Juris also. As I was saying to you, your father’s tragedy came as a surprise to all of us in the organization.’
‘Juris also works for Mr Kukushkin?’ Mark asked, because he had to.
‘He is an associate,’ Tamarov replied after a pause. Both men glanced back at the table. Ben, Mark was pleased to see, was now talking to Ayesha in the corner. That would keep him out of trouble. Macklin, Raquel, Duchev and Philippe were laughing amongst themselves in a separate conversation.
‘And your brother?’ Tamarov asked. ‘What does he think?’
‘Ben?’
‘Yes. Ben.’
‘Oh, all brother cares about is paintings.’
Tamarov’s mouth dipped.
‘I like him very much,’ he said. ‘Benjamin is good person. It is not easy for him to live with everything that has happened. I also lose my father, when I was seventeen year old.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘A car crash outside Moscow. He was killed with a friend, coming back from a day of fishing in the country. My mother was very sick and I had to inform my younger sister and brother of this news. They are twins, only ten years old at the time. When I tell them what has happened they are screaming, like animals on the floor.’