43The leap of faith
The police led the passengers from the train into the empty
waiting room. We sat on cold benches and waited to be inter-
viewed. The gendarmes had commandeered the stationmaster’s
ofce as a makeshift interview room.
A man who looked like an old-fashioned bank clerk handed me
a receipt for my suitcase and briefcase and a junior policeman
beckoned me in to the murky room.
‘What is it you do?’
‘I teach people about nance.’ I didn’t want to spend too much
time here so kept my answers as punchy as possible.
‘What is your connection with Mr Abercrombie? You had lunch
with Mr Abercrombie in the dining car, I believe?’
‘Yes. What of it?’
‘What did you talk about?’
‘Risk and return.’
‘Tell me what exactly.’
‘Why?’
The doors swung open and the uorescent strip lights sparked
into action. A woman marched in, her heels tapping across
the parquet oor. She wore a severe black business suit and
was anked by two senior policemen. She gave an order in
French and my junior policeman shot up from his chair and
left. My eyes adjusted to the light and I saw the newcomer
more clearly.
‘My name is Anisa Chabbra,’ she began, as if we hadn’t just spent
hours together on the train. ‘I work for a government agency
which investigates cross-border crimes. Please tell me what you
know about the missing man.’
‘What missing man?’ I was suddenly blank.
‘Guy Abercrombie. The man who took you for lunch.’
One-way ticket44
‘When did he disappear? I was waiting for him to come to my
carriage.’
‘What did you talk about during lunch?’
‘Not much. We talked about a few old acquaintances.’
‘He didn’t tell you anything about his business dealings?’
‘No,’ I lied. ‘Why would he? I hadn’t seen him for a decade before
bumping into him today. It was nothing more than a lucky
coincidence.’
‘Is this a lucky coincidence?’ For the rst time I noticed that
the other senior policeman had been carrying my briefcase.
He snapped it open on the desk. There was my laptop and
there was Uli’s train. And there was the analyst’s report on
Cal-Pan.
Anisa held up the report. ‘Where did you get this?’
‘I don’t know. What do you want from me?’
‘I want you to help us re-create Guy Abercrombie’s investment
portfolio. We need to trace his steps to nd out what he’s been
doing. We need you to retrace his steps. I can get you out of
this hole in ve minutes and you can be in London for brunch
tomorrow morning. But only if you promise to help me. If you
don’t keep your word . . .’
She let the threat hang in the air.
‘I don’t see how I can help you.’
She was in no mood to listen to my plea of innocence. ‘Guy
Abercrombie made a fortune in a very short period of time. Our
records show that he considered ling for personal bankruptcy
eighteen months ago. And yet now he’s a multimillionaire.’ One
of the senior policemen coughed and Anisa realised her error. ‘Or
at least he appeared to be.’
‘What do you mean by that?’
45The leap of faith
‘It seems that your friend has vanished into thin air. With a large
amount of money that – strictly speaking – isn’t his.’
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