Page 55 of The Collector
“I’m a Venetian. I’m entitled to emit.”
“Is that so?”
“I don’t own an automobile, I walk or use public transportationeverywhere I go, and my wife is allergic to air-conditioning. Furthermore, my daughter is something of a climate radical. If I so much as strike a match, I get an earful. My greatest fear is that she’s going to glue herself to a painting in the Accademia.”
He opened the glove box. Inside, wrapped in a protective cloth, was a Beretta 92FS.
“Membership obviously has its privileges,” said Ingrid.
“I have a boatload of mileage.”
“Where’s mine?”
“I’m afraid that Office regulations strictly forbid issuing firearms to non-employees. Besides,” said Gabriel, “we’re just going to have a word with her, not shoot her.”
He wedged the gun into the waistband of his trousers and reversed out of the space. Five minutes later he was headed west on the E20 into the blinding light of the autumn sun. He lowered the visor and took a long look into the rearview mirror.
“Are we being followed?”
“There are several dozen cars with Danish registration behind us. Whether any of them belong to the Danish police or the PET remains to be seen.”
“How is it possible they didn’t detain you at the airport?”
“It might have had something to do with the fact I was traveling on a Canadian passport.”
“And if they figure out that you’re back in the country?”
“My friend Lars Mortensen will read me the riot act. It will be one for the ages. An all-time showstopper.”
“When are you planning to tell him that you’re investigating one of Denmark’s most prominent citizens?”
“At a time and place of my choosing.”
The motorway carried them southward along the gentle curve of Køge Bay. Gabriel took a brief detour through the beach townof Karlstrup Strand, one that included a series of consecutive right turns.
Ingrid kept watch in her side-view mirror. “And what is my relationship to your service, exactly?”
“You’re a temporary asset. We will use you for a single specific task and go our separate ways.”
“I suppose you had a look at my background to make certain I wasn’t a shady character.”
“With all due respect, Ingrid, youarea shady character.”
“Does that mean you didn’t bother to run a check on me?”
“Did I say that?”
“Find anything interesting?”
“With the exception of Skagen CyberSolutions, remarkably little. In fact, you’re a bit like that Russian who tried to kill us in Kandestederne the other night. You don’t seem to exist.”
“Plastering one’s picture all over social media isn’t a good idea in my line of work.”
“No arrests?”
“Never.”
“And you’re not wanted anywhere?”
