“Not at all, young man. Unlike many Englishmen, especially of my generation, I respect the acumen of the American businessman. Endless tea and cakes have hurt British productivity, there’s little doubt. So just let me have it with both barrels, as you Yanks like to say.” Fitzroy sipped his coffee.
The young American leaned forward. “My rush has less to do with me being American, more to do with the critical nature of my firm’s need.”
“I hope I can be of service.”
“I’m certain of it. I am here to discuss an event that took place twenty hours ago in Al Hasakah.”
Fitzroy cocked his thick head and smiled. “You’ve got me there, lad. Must admit I don’t recognize the name.”
“It’s in eastern Syria, Mr. Fitzroy.”
Donald Fitzroy’s practiced smile faltered, and he said nothing. Slowly he lowered his cup to his saucer and placed it on the table in front of him.
Lloyd said, “Again, I apologize for the way I am rushing this along, but time is not merely crucial in this matter, it is virtually nonexistent.”
“I am listening.” The Englishman’s warm smile of ten seconds ago was dead and buried now.
“Around eight o’clock local time last evening, an assassin took the life of Dr. Isaac Abubaker. He was, you might know, the Nigerian minister of energy.”
Fitzroy spoke with a tone markedly less friendly than before. “Curious. Any idea what the Nigerian minister of energy was doing in eastern Syria? The only energy to be mined there is the fervency of the Jihadists who congregate before sneaking into Iraq to fuel the conflict.”
Lloyd smiled. “The good doctor was a Muslim of radical thought. He may have been in the area to offer some material support for the cause. I am not here to defend the man’s actions. I am concerned only about his assassin. As it happens, the killer survived, escaped into Iraq.”
“How unfortunate.”
“Not for the assassin. The killer was good. He was better than good. He was the best. He was the one they call the Gray Man.”
Fitzroy crossed his legs and leaned back. “A myth.”
“Not a myth. A man. A man of great skill, but ultimately a man of flesh and blood.”
“Why are you here?” Fitzroy’s voice held none of the paternal charm of their earlier conversation.
“I am here because you are his handler.”
“His what?”
“His handler. You vet his contracts, supply his logistical needs, assist him with intelligence, collect from the payers, and forward compensation to his bank accounts.”
“Where did you hear this nonsense?”
“Sir Donald, had I the time, I would offer you every courtesy you deserve, we could verbally fence, and I would feint and you would parry and we’d both strut around the room until one of our swords scored a killing strike. Unfortunately, sir, I am under a tremendous pressure, which forces me to dispense with the customary pleasantries.” He sipped his coffee again and made a little face at the bitterness of the brew. “Iknowthe assassin was the one called the Gray Man, and I know you run him. You can ask me how I know this, but I will just lie, and our relationshipin the next few hours depends upon our ability to speak frankly.”
“Go on.”
“As I said, the Gray Man crossed into Iraq but missed his extraction, because he foolishly engaged a superior insurgent force in a firefight. He killed or wounded ten men or more. Saved an American National Guardsman and recovered the body of another. And now he is on the run.”
“How do you know the Gray Man was the assassin of Dr. Abubaker?”
“There is no one else in the world who would be sent on that mission, because there is no one else in the world who could pull off that hit.”
“And yet, you say, he made a foolish mistake.”
“More evidence I am right. The Gray Man was once an operative for the U.S. government. Something went wrong, he was targeted by the CIA, and he went into hiding from his former masters. His soured relationship with Langley notwithstanding, the Gray Man is still very much an American patriot. He could not ignore a helicopter crash and eleven dead Americans without finding a measure of retribution.”
“That is your proof?”
Lloyd smoothed the drape of his suit coat. “It has been known by us for some time that the Gray Man had accepted a contract for the Abubaker hit. When the good doctor died as a result of foul play, there was no need to speculate as to the identity of his killer.”
