stopped, looked in puzzlement at the unhappy face, hurried across the room
to Julie’s chair, dropped to her knees and said: ‘What’s wrong, Julie?
What’s wrong?’
Julie looked away from the door and slowly turned her head. ‘Nothing.
Nothing’s wrong.’
‘Nothing’s wrong? Oh. God! Nothing. First me, then you. Tears. And you look
– you look so woebegone.’ Annemarie hugged her. ‘Notliing wrong! Julie!
Don’t treat me like an idiot.’
‘I’m the idiot. I’ve just made a mistake.’
‘You? I don’t believe it. Mistake. What mistake;o’
‘The mistake of forgetting that Peter is not only my brother, he’s a
policeman and heir apparent to the Colonel. You didn’t know that, did you?’
Julie sniffled. ‘Common knowledge. De Graaf is due to retire this year but
he’s in no hurry to retire as long as Peter is already doing most of his
job for him.’
‘Never mind the Colonel. Where’s that ruffian?’
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Julie tried to smile. ‘Second time tonight he’s been called a ruffian by
two different girls. I’ll bet it’s never happened before. He’s left.’
‘Gone? Gone for the night?’
‘No. Just to check on the guard.’ Julie smiled again, a more successful
effort this time. ‘He may be gifted at reducing people to team but I’m
sure he cares for us.’
‘He’s got a funny way of showing it. What did he do to you, Julie? What
did he say?’
‘Do? Nothing, of course. Say? I stepped out of line, I guess, and he
brought me back into line. That’s all.’
‘You expect me to be satisfied with that?’
‘No, I don’t, my dear. But can we leave it just for the moment? Please?’
They had finished their coffee by the time van Effen had returned. He
appeared to find nothing amiss or, if he did, chose not to comment on it.
‘Guard’s here,’he said. ‘Armed to the teeth. And I have to go now.’
‘But your coffee
‘Another time. I am, as they say, summoned forth. Julie, there’s
something you must do for me. Could you
‘Must?’ She smiled. ‘An order or request.’
‘What does that matter.’ Rarely for him, van Effen was irritated. ‘Do
what I ask – please, note the please – or I’ll take Annemarie away with
me.’
‘My word! Such threats. And if she chooses to remain here or I ask her
to stay?’
‘Rotterdam. Tomorrow morning. Ex-policewoman. You don’t disobey orders
in the police and remain on the force. Sorry, Annemarie, that was not
directed at you. Julie’s not being very bright tonight. Don’t look
shocked, little sister, if you can’t see I’m serious then you’ve become
uncommonly stupid. Develop diplomatic flu for the next day or two. Anne-
marie is in as much danger as you are and I want the two of you here
together. Annemarie, nine-fifteen.’
He went to the door and opened it, looked at the two solemn faces and
shook his head.
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‘Exit the gallant Lieutenant into the dark and dreadful
night.1
He closed the door quietly behind him.
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Four
The tall, thin young man in the dark and dripping raincoat would rarely have
called for more than a passing glance or a comment on the fact that he did
look rather unprepossessing, an impression increased by the black hair
plastered to his head by the heavy rain and that he sported an ill-trimmed
black moustache. The moustache, in fact, had not been trimmed at all: he had
been in an unusual hurry that morning and had pasted it on ever so slightly
askew.
He was standing almost in the middle of the square when he saw her, angling
across and coining almost directly towards him. Annemarie, her warpaint
back in position again, looked as miserable and bedraggled as the young
man, who now stepped out into her path.
‘Annemarie, is it?’
Her eyes widened and she looked quickly around. Despite the near torrential
rain there were a fair number of people around and a flower and vegetable
open-air market only metres away. She looked again at the young man, who
was smiling, a rather pleasant smile despite his overall appearance.
‘Please don’t worry, miss. Hardly the place where anyone would think to
carry out a kidnapping. You must be Annemarie – there couldn’t be two
people answering the description I was given. I’m Detective Rudolph
Engel.’He brought abadge from his pocket and showed it to her. ‘I could, of
course, have stolen this. Lieutenant van Effen wants to see you. He’s in
his car.’
‘Why should I believe you? Why did he send you? He knew where I was. He
could have come to see me. What car does he have?’
‘A black Peugeot.’
‘You would know that, wouldn’t you?’
‘Yes.’ The young man was patient. ‘When you’ve worked
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under someone for five years you do know something about him. The
Lieutenant said to me, “Miss Meijer is very suspi
cious. Mention the Amazon, her father, the Colonel and someone’s ‘lack of
courage’.” I have no idea what he meant.’
‘I do.’ She took his arm. ‘I’m sorry.’
Van Effen, relaxed behind the wheel of his car, was this morning sporting
a homburg hat and a big, black, square beard of the type favoured by
Sephardic joews. He looked round as Annemarie opened the passenger door
and looked in.
‘Good morning, my dear.’
‘Good morning, he says. What are you doing here?’
‘Sheltering from the rain. It’s coming down in buckets. You must have
noticed. Come in, come in.’
She sat down and looked at him accusingly. ‘Five metres, you said. Never
more than five metres; away. Sixty seconds in every minute. That’s what
you said. Where were you? Your promise to look after me! Fine promise.’
‘Man proposes, God disposes.’ If van Effen was remorse stricken, he
concealed it well. ‘Besides, you were being looked after. By proxy. Don’t
tell me you didn’t see a rather elderly gentleman hanging around,
slightly stooped, grey beard, grey coat and a white stick. He was looking
after you.’
‘I saw him. That creature! He couldn’t have looked after a kitten.’
‘Whatever that means. That creature is young, fit, a judo expert and a
very accurate shot.’
‘Beards,’ she almost muttered. ‘Beards, moustaches, that’s all they can
think of. Disguises! Well, thank you, someone was there, but you broke
your promise.’
‘It was politic to do so. I was close behind and you were less than a
hundred metres from your rendezvous when I caught sight of no other than
Mr Paderiwski following you even more closely than I was. Mr Paderiwski
is shrewd, observant and doesn’t like me, which is a nasty combination.
He might just have recognized me, especially when I was in close
attendance on you. I had taken the precaution of taking two of my
detectives with me – think nothing of the fact that we obviously
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care so much about you – and I decided discretion was the better part of
foolhardiness. Hence the switch.’
Engel said through van Effen’s open window: ‘Anything further, sir?’
‘No. Not here. Don’t lose sight of our friend.’
‘Well, I’ve already seen him, sir. There can’t be another bald, pepper
and salt beard with a squint around.’
‘Julius Caesar?’ Annemarie said.
‘None other. I didn’t tell. Rudolph here what his name was. He wouldn’t
have believed me. A close but not too close eye on our Julius. And make
sure there are always a few people around. I’d rather lose him than lose
you. Don’t forget what happened to your two colleagues yesterday.’
‘I won’t forget, sir. ‘The expression on his face was testimony enough
to that. He turned and walked away into the rain.
‘MolUed?’ Van Effen started the engine and drove off.
‘A bit.’ She smiled a little. ‘Did you have to tell him I was a coward?’
‘I did not. Someone was, I saiid.’
‘It doesn’t matter, because I am. I don’t like riding around in this car,
for instance.’
‘It takes time to get seats fixed. And what’s that got to do
‘Please. I mean that this car is known. To criminals, I mean.’
‘Pfui. There’s a couple of hundred like this in the city.’
She said sweetly: ‘There’s a couple of hundred with the same licence
plates?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything? You know the licence number of this
car?’
‘More or less. Rotterdam. Three nines. We are trained to be observant,
remember?’
‘But not observant enough to notlice that these were clip-on plates, not
screwed. Today, this car is registered in Paris with a big ‘F’ at the
side to prove it. I have access to an unlimited number of plates.’ She
made a face but &-ud nothing. ‘You should be interested in more important
things. Such as the latest antics of the FFF.’
‘Yes?’
‘There were no antics. They didn’t blow the dyke of the
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North Holland canal. They called in to both the papers and the police less
than ten minutes ago. Positively hugging themselves, they are. Said they