The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,124
distance, but as he drew closer she saw that the skin around his eyes and mouth was etched with lines. He was fifty, she guessed, maybe even older.
“You’re obviously Jennie,” he said, holding out his hand.
She looked into a pair of the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. “Hello, Ryan.”
“Can I see your passport?”
Ava hesitated and then realized he was serious. She took it from her bag and handed it to him.
He held the page with her picture up to an overhead light and then twisted the passport so he could examine the seams. “It seems fine,” he said.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
He held out the passport. As she took it, he held on and pulled her gently towards him. “We need to go. Things are moving much faster than we expected.”
“What —”
“I’ll explain as we walk,” he said briskly, though he didn’t say a word until they exited the terminal. “That’s our vehicle,” he said, pointing to a grey Daihatsu van with tinted windows that was parked at the curb.
The back door opened as they drew near. Poirier stood aside to let her climb in. There were two soldiers sitting in the front, staring straight ahead. “We’re going to the barracks,” he said to her.
“What’s going on?”
“The plane will be landing in about an hour and a half.”
“You finally got a flight plan?”
“They radioed for permission to land only twenty minutes ago.”
“How did you find out?”
“You sound suspicious.”
“I’m just concerned about leaks.”
“So are we. The captain stationed two men in the control tower as soon as he got here. No one has been allowed to leave. Every single communication has been monitored.”
“Now what?”
“That depends on what you want.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can wait at the barracks until the plane lands and we seize it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to be at the hangar with Captain Aries.”
“Then that’s where I want to be.”
“It isn’t necessary. You’ve already played your part just by being here in Surabaya.”
“I want to be at the hangar.”
( 46 )
Captain Aries was about the same height as Poirier, but larger and barrel-chested. He met them at the door to the barracks. The other men sat behind him, occupying half the beds in the sixteen-bed unit. They were all dressed in olive T-shirts, khaki pants, and brown running shoes.
“So you’re the young woman who’s bringing us all this excitement,” he said, looking Ava and down. Then he smiled. “My friend Poirier is not so happy to see you; he would have preferred your client. But me, I prefer pretty women.”
“She wants to go to the hangar with us,” Poirier said.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Aries said.
“You brought me here. The least you can do is let me see how things conclude.”
“I have no objections,” Poirier said.
Aries shrugged. “Ryan will be staying in the background, a safe distance away. I would expect you to do the same.”
“Okay.”
“Even so, not dressed like that.”
“I have some black training pants, running shoes, and a black T-shirt in my bag,” Ava said.
“Ryan will be wearing a bulletproof jacket and a balaclava, as will the rest of us. Do you object to those?”
“Not at all.”
Aries turned. “Do we have a spare bulletproof jacket and balaclava?” he asked.
“No jacket small like her,” the nearest man said.
“I’ll tie it tight,” Ava said.
“There is a washroom at the other end of the barracks. You can change there,” Aries said.
The soldier reached under the bed and pulled out a box. He extracted a jacket and a balaclava and tossed them to Ava. “Do not lose,” he said.
“I won’t,” Ava said.
The washroom was built for men, with a main door that didn’t lock and cubicles that had no doors. She opened her bag first, took out her clothes, and then stripped. She slipped the T-shirt over her head and then quickly pulled on the pants. She had put on some mascara and lipstick in the morning. She imagined how hot it would be under the balaclava, and didn’t fancy the thought of runny makeup. She wiped it off with a damp towel, put her shirt and slacks in the bag and her phone in her pants pocket, and walked out into the barracks.
Aries’ men were standing in a semicircle facing him and Poirier. Ava could hear the captain talking and hurried to catch what was being said. When his words became distinct, she realized he was speaking in Indonesian. Poirier glanced at her and put his index finger to his lips.