| |
“What do we do now?” Tête asked of his fellow agent as the two of them sat in their BMW outside Charles de Gaulle airport, having followed Rene Dubois there.
“I think we need to get instructions,” Agent Schneider gave his opinion. “Dubois could be waiting for a flight so he can get out of the country. If he does that, we’re in trouble. We don’t have permission, let alone the resources, to continue surveillance if he gets on a plane. And arranging for him to be picked up at the other end might take longer than the flight does.”
“Sir, it’s Agent Schneider,” he said when Special Agent Ney answered his phone. “We’ve got a problem with Dubois.”
“What sort of problem?” Ney asked from his position in the operations room at Interpol’s Paris office where, along with Deputy Director Lejour and a variety of other staff, he was overseeing the operations taking place that night.
“Dubois left his apartment this evening and drove to Charles de Gaulle airport, where he retrieved a case from a locker. He’s now sitting in the main departure lounge. Agents Martin and Laurent are watching him, but we need to know what you want us to do.”
“One moment.” Ney put Schneider on hold while he discussed the situation with Lejour. The conversation didn’t last long. “Okay. For now, you’re to continue as you have been, observe and follow, that’s all. Do you think he’s aware of your presence?”
“That’s unclear, sir. He’s given no indication that he knows we’re watching him, but his coming to the airport has us concerned, especially with him retrieving a case and not leaving again straightaway. He could be waiting for someone or something, but we have no idea what. He might also have got wind of what is going on and be planning on doing a runner.”
“You might be right, but for now, continue as you are. If he makes any attempt to board a flight or an obvious attempt to evade you then bring him in, even if you have to stop the flight on the runway.” Ney hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. Stopping a commercial airliner to apprehend a corrupt Interpol agent would attract a lot of trouble and unwanted publicity.
“Yes, sir, I understand. I’ll keep you informed of any developments.” The phone went dead in Schneider’s hand then and he turned to his partner. “You’d better join Martin and Laurent inside,” he said. “We’ve been given orders to bring Dubois in if it looks like he’s trying to ditch us or he tries to board a flight.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Tête commented as he opened his door. “Things could get very messy if we have to try and grab him here, especially if he makes a fight of it. I’d rather wait until he’s somewhere with fewer people to make our move.”
“Amen to that,” Schneider said as his partner shut the door and started across the car park.