De Payns arrived early for his boating date and walked to the west of the Grand Large, where the launches and yachts were moored. This artificial lake had access to the North Sea via the Nimy Canal. He stopped beside the marina, where boat owners were crawling over their vessels, readying themselves for a Saturday on the water, perhaps the last blast of summer. He took out his Sébastien Duboscq phone and called Raven.
‘Hi, I’m here early,’ he said, adopting a cheery tone. ‘Wow, this place is fantastic. Which one are we on?’
She told him it was Marianne, a big motor launch on the most northerly arm of the marina.
‘I’ll see you in thirty minutes,’ she said, sounding excited. ‘I’m just picking up our picnic.’
De Payns walked north and found Marianne. It was a forty-foot gin palace near the end of the marina arm; the only other boat owner was busy with a vessel closer to shore. He clambered onto the wooden duckboard and reached over the transom, unhitching the gate. He padded across the afterdeck, noting there was dew on it from the overnight chill. No footstep marks. He made a cursory tour of the boat, looking in the windows for signs of someone waiting in there, but saw nothing. He took a seat in a recliner on the afterdeck.
Raven arrived at the agreed time, and he sensed a change. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white hoodie and a pair of white trackpants. In leisure clothing she was all curves, and more confident than he’d seen her previously.
‘You put those away and I’ll get the engines started,’ she said, handing him two grocery bags, one of which contained two bottles of Mumm champagne.
She unlocked the cabin and walked through to the bridge, while de Payns put the picnic and booze in the galley fridge. Her scent was different, he decided. Something lighter than her usual Opium—perhaps Arpège?
The engines growled to life beneath him as he poured two glasses of the champagne and walked them through to Raven.
‘Thanks,’ she said, taking her glass. ‘You’re the deckhand, time to cast off.’
When he got back to the bridge, she was easing the launch out of its berth and into the Grand Large. They headed north for the Nimy Canal, and turned to the west, the water sparkling in the sun. She clinked glasses with him and they sipped as they motored.
‘I didn’t see you as the maritime type,’ said de Payns, genuinely impressed. ‘I thought you said your background was academic?’
‘My father was a boating enthusiast,’ she said, smiling. ‘He raced yachts, built boats. My brother wasn’t interested so that left me.’
‘Nice,’ said de Payns, drinking. ‘Tomboy?’
She laughed, almost wistfully. ‘I don’t know about that. I guess when a father has a daughter who loves the outdoors and a son who likes books, then he starts to spend a lot of time with his daughter.’
De Payns noticed something a little deeper but decided not to push. ‘So you sailed in the Persian Gulf?’
‘Yes, he had his boats in Karachi and we’d tour around Shomali Island and across to Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. We went on a holiday once to the Maldives and toured around the islands. I got all my certificates before I turned twenty.’
De Payns felt happy for her and relieved that she was resourceful. On a boat she was in her element, less a victim, more capable of bouncing back from what was coming.
‘You look surprised,’ she said, laughing at him.
‘Honestly, I had an image of women in Pakistan not being allowed to skipper a boat like this. Maybe I was wrong?’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘you’re basically right. But if you have a great father, then you have a great life.’
‘And then you marry your husband?’
She laughed so hard that she breathed in her champagne and de Payns had to pat her on the back. She was warm and soft through the fabric and he could feel her hip against his crotch.
‘That,’ she said, as she regained her composure, ‘is the story of my life. My dad told me I could be whoever I wanted to be, and then my husband finds Allah and he didn’t know who I was. Still doesn’t.’
They motored west for an hour, laughing and drinking and waving to other boats, some with families, others blasting Guns N’ Roses from their stereos. She pulled up at a small quay at a waterside park, adjacent to a bike path. He hopped off Marianne, secured the boat and joined Raven on the afterdeck, where she was laying out cheese and bread, olives and hummus.
She paused while she helped herself to hummus. ‘I was thinking about our chat the other night.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘About my brother.’
De Payns could see her discomfort and decided to take the lead. ‘You know, I’ve been thinking about that too.’
‘I didn’t want to scare you …’
‘No, no,’ said de Payns. ‘I want you to know that I’m not judging him—you know, because his lab might have a military role. He must be a very, very intelligent man. Conversations with him must be fascinating.’
She relaxed visibly. ‘You sure?’
‘Absolutely,’ said de Payns. ‘I think some of the great scientific minds have devoted themselves to military projects. Wasn’t it Archimedes who invented a more powerful catapault, at the siege of Syracuse?’
‘I’m so happy you said that. He is such a great man, and I’m really proud of him.’ She paused. ‘I’m sure the two of you would get on really well.’
De Payns tried not to look too interested. ‘You think so? Why?’
‘Because you’re interested in his field of science—and you said yourself you want to have better marketing channels into Asia and the Middle East.’
De Payns nodded casually, but his mind was spinning. He had to close this. ‘Well, who knows, Anoush? Given where I travel, maybe our paths will cross.’
She lit up. ‘Are you planning a trip to Pakistan?’
De Payns smiled, sipped on his champagne. ‘Well, I travel through these countries, but all I ever see are hotel rooms and offices. It would be good to have more leisure time there. I love ancient history, and I’ve wanted to visit some well-preserved Moghul sites in your country. It’s apparently like time travel.’
Raven beamed. ‘That would be great. I’ll be going back there for a visit myself soon. You could stay at my place.’
‘And your husband?’
She smiled and shook her head. ‘Oh no, not there. I have a little flat owned by my family. You could stay there.’
De Payns could feel the opportunity looming. ‘That’s a generous invitation, but I don’t want to bother you or put you in any kind of bad situation with your family.’
‘Don’t worry, you won’t.’
‘Well, then, it sounds like a plan. Will your brother be around?’
She looked confused. ‘Why?’
De Payns pulled back; he couldn’t afford to blow this. ‘You thought I would get on well with him, non? I’d like to meet him.’
She nodded, relaxing again. ‘He doesn’t have a lot of freedom to move around, because of the nature of his work. He’s mostly limited to his lab and his home. I’m the only person he’s allowed to see socially. Perhaps I can invite him for dinner?’
De Payns smiled. ‘That sounds great. When are you leaving for Islamabad?’
‘In three weeks,’ she said.
De Payns realised this might be the only chance. ‘That’s perfect. I’ll be in New Delhi around then and I have a client in Lahore. Islamabad is just up the road—I could hire a car, come up and see you?’
‘I’ll let you know,’ said Raven, raising her glass.
De Payns raised his own and clinked it against hers. ‘To science,’ he said.