overlooked. He sensed they might be at a crucial juncture. He had no intention of leaving, as long as she didn't throw him out. He didn't think she would, he was her only link with her sister now, he'd been there when Tracy had died. That meant the world to her, he sensed that it brought the two of them closer, made Tracy's sudden death a bit more bearable.
"Chrissie," he said gently, "did she ever tell you how she met him?"
She shook her head, then said, "Maybe in Russia. Saint Petersburg? She'd gone there to have a look at the Hermitage. I remember because I was all set to go with her when Scarlett came down with an ear infection, high fever, disorientation, the works." She shook her head. "God, what different lives the two of us have led! And now... now it's come to this. Scarlett will be devastated."
Then she frowned. "Why did you come here, Adam?"
"Because I wanted something to remind me of her, because I had nowhere else to go." He realized, a bit belatedly, that it was the truth, or at least as much of it as he was prepared to share with her.
"I didn't, either," she said with a sigh. "Scarlett was visiting my folks when the call came. She was having a grand time, still is, judging by our last texts." Her eyes were on him, but again her attention was fixed somewhere else. "Of course you can have a look around, take whatever keepsake you want."
"I appreciate that."
She nodded absently, then turned back to her contemplation of the mews and its budding pear tree. A moment later she gave a tiny gasp. "There they are!"
Bourne rose and joined her at the window.
"They've returned," he said. "The house martins."
Arkadin woke at dawn, climbed into swim shorts, and went out for a run in the surf. The sky was filled with cormorants and pelicans. Greedy gulls walked along the sand, plucking at the remnants of last night's drunken parties. He ran south until he reached the outskirts of one of the big resort clubs, then turned around. After that he plunged into the water and swam for forty minutes. When he returned to the convent there were more than twenty messages waiting for him on his cell phone. One was from Boris Karpov. He showered and dressed, then chopped up fresh fruit. Pineapple, papaya, bananas, oranges. He ate the sweet chunks with a large dollop of yogurt. Ironically, he was learning to eat healthily in Mexico.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he took up his phone and made his first call. He was informed that the most recent shipment from Gustavo Moreno's pipeline had not reached the client. It had been delayed, or possibly it had gone missing. At the moment, he was told, it was impossible to say. He ordered his man to keep him informed, then disconnected.
Reflecting that he'd have to deal with the missing shipment himself and, if warranted, dole out harsh punishments, he punched in Karpov's number.
"I'm in LAX," Boris Karpov said in his ear. "Now what?"
"Now we meet face-to-face," Arkadin said. "There's a late-morning flight to Tucson. Call ahead, order a rental car - a two-seater convertible, the older and more battered the better." He gave Karpov instructions and driving directions. "Approach with the top down. Be prepared to wait at the rendezvous point for an hour, maybe more, until I determine that you have fulfilled all the terms of our meet. Is that clear?"
"I'll be there," Karpov said, "before sundown."
Bourne was still up, listening to the sounds of the flat, the building, the neighborhood, listening to London itself inhale and exhale as if it were a great beast. He turned his head when Chrissie appeared in the living room. An hour before, close to four, she had gone into the bedroom, but by the bedside lamp and the dry rustle of pages turning, he'd known she hadn't fallen asleep. Possibly she hadn't even tried.
"Haven't you gone to sleep yet?" Her voice was soft, almost burred, as if, in fact, she had just woken up.
"No." He was sitting back on the sofa, his mind still and dark as the bottom of the sea. But sleep hadn't come. Once, he thought he'd heard her sigh, but it was only the city breathing.
She came and sat down at the other corner of the sofa, tucked her legs under her. "I'd like to be in here, if it's all right."