“And the codes? You do have them.”
“The minister has them,” said Rosenfeld. “He is anxious to give them to you as planned. Just take care of Ava Attal. You know what they say about loose ends. We can’t have any.”
“Our meeting stands, then,” said Tariq.
“Five forty-five,” said Yehudi Rosenfeld. “Vespers. Chapel of St. Genevieve. On the right, halfway to the altar.”
“I’ll be there,” said Tariq.
Chapter 50
27 Avenue Montaigne
Fourth floor
Paris
A single knock at the door. Ava ran to open it. Dahlia rushed past her, cheeks flushed, a tear running down her cheek.
“Where is he?” asked Ava.
“Talking to his father,” said Dahlia. “They’re all gathered in the courtyard. The emir, his minions. Everyone in their finestthobes. It’s really happening. Tonight, I think. Tariq’s upset because they’ve moved everything up. It’s in the champagne. Samson is ... in the bottle I mean.”
Ava took Dahlia’s hand and guided her to the sofa. “Slow down. Start over.”
Dahlia wiped at her cheek. “Samson is inside a bottle of champagne. A giant bottle. A ‘methuselah,’ he called it.” She spread her hands from her knee to her head to indicate its size. “He packed it in foam. I saw it. It’s working. There are pin lights on top, and they’re all on. Red. He has a transmitter he carries in his backpack. My God, Ava, it’s happening.”
“Of course it’s happening,” said Ava, voice cold and hard as steel. She was every bit as agitated as Dahlia, but this was not the time for emotion. It was a time for resolve. “And we’re going to make sure he doesn’t succeed. You and I. That’s why we came here.”
“There will be blood,” Dahlia whispered.
“What?”
“It’s what he always says. If there is a coup, there will be blood.”
“Samson’s in the champagne,” said Ava. Why not? If they could fit it inside a backpack, why not into a large bottle? “And what will they do with it?”
Dahlia drew a breath and swallowed. Her eyes cleared, and she sat up straighter. “Tariq suggested to his father that he give the champagne to the French president to commemorate the signing of the agreement. A symbol of France and Qatar’s commitment to peace, or something like that.”
“Where is it taking place?” asked Ava. “The signing. I imagine there will be an announcement.”
“Versailles,” said Dahlia. “I don’t know where.”
“Tonight?” said Ava. “Too soon.”
“Tariq had to rush home to bring his brother a case of champagne and the methuselah.”
“Does he have the codes?”
Dahlia shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything about codes. He told me that Samson was just a big bomb. Enough to kill everyone in the room so that he would become emir. They want to blame it on you.”
“Nice of them,” said Ava. “But that ship has sailed.” She turned her head, then jumped to her feet and dashed to the window. “Hear that?”
Dahlia stood. “What is it?”
“Sirens,” said Ava. “The police.”
Chapter 51
