into the water. Waterloo’s idea of safety in case anyone fell in, and cheaper than a night watchman.
On the far side of the lake, footprints were clearly dug into the sloping side of the pit and continued to a metal ladder running up the side of the Portakabin. The building was locked and empty, yet to be filled with the mass of paperwork that followed a construction project. He climbed the ladder onto the roof.
The Portakabin was only a foot from another white temporary wall at the opposite side of the site. Piers ran his flashlight across it and a large stain, dark red and thigh-high, confirmed the route Auguste had taken.
Piers looked over the wall and its dark stain to a cobblestone alleyway below. An old couple hurried by. He checked the map on his phone. The alley led to the square in front of Notre Dame, the place where they had all met in that fateful taxi.
So, where had the money gone? If Auguste had taken it from his car, it was gone by the time he reached the taxi. Piers looked back down the alleyway. A group of men walked by, drunk and singing. If Auguste had dropped a bag of money in the lane, it would have been found long ago. The same went for the area around Notre Dame, and it certainly wasn’t in his car. Piers shone the flashlight around the building site. It was nothing but mud with one line of footprints. Auguste had run in and straight out. What options were left?
He walked back to the pit and knelt down by the safety netting to scan the surface of the lake. In the faint nighttime glow of moon and streetlights, he saw sheets of rain dimpling the surface with lines that bucked and twisted at the wind’s whim. He marveled that even in the cloying mud and winter cold, nature could reveal its beauty everywhere.
Everywhere, save one small square in the middle of the lake.
Chapter 25
Piers watched the small square drift in the murky water. It was only visible by its effect on the rain splashing on the water. Whatever it was, it was thoroughly sodden and the weight of adsorbed water was keeping it just below the surface.
He untied a plastic rope from one side of the safety netting and scoured the building site for something to float. He found a large plastic carrier bag advertising the Printemps chain of shops, hooked the rope through the handles, inflated the bag, and knotted it.
With a few minutes perseverance he floated the bag to the square and dragged the object back to the lake’s edge. He pulled a filthy briefcase from the water and cradled it in his hands as a dirty slurry drained out. The sides flexed and the last thing he needed was for it to break open and to have to retrieve the contents from the muddy ground.
He looked around the site. The Portakabin was locked and the only other structures were the two giant cranes in the far corner. They had huge concrete bases that served as foundations to stabilize the giant machines. He looked up and saw the operator’s cabin at the top of the crane and kicked himself for being so stupid.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, entered the web address for the Waterloo site, and chose the “Engineering login” button. A password later and he saw a list of the cranes Waterloo had operational all around the world. The cranes unique ID was stenciled in large letters on the tower. Moments later he had control of the fifty-ton monster. All it took was one button press to bring the operator’s cabin down to ground level.
The cabin wasn’t large, but it was dry. Piers rested the case on a small fold-down table. The locks were secure, but he pried the weakened sides apart easily. Mud oozed out and he tilted the case to pour it away from him. A thick plastic bag took up all the space inside. He lifted it up. It was heavy and seam-welded at each end. Wiping it with his hand, he could see the inside was dry.
And the inside was filled with diamonds.
Chapter 26
Piers had never seen loose diamonds. He hefted the bag. It was ten pounds at least. The plastic was thick, and there was no way it was going to break open easily. He looked over the building site. The plastic bag he had used to retrieve the case