coastguard got on. The only time the Rybinsk was anywhere close to Japanese territorial waters it was two hundred miles south of North Korea, so I thought I’d see how many Koreans had been caught up in their anti-piracy sweep.’
She frowned. ‘Is that what you asked Armstrong to do – find out?’
‘He asked the CIA to check with the Japanese, then phoned me back to say the whole campaign had been pretty much of a disaster because of a storm that hit the Sea of Japan at the wrong time. The coastguard spent the best part of four days rescuing fishermen who were trying to make it back to Honshu. Do you want to guess how many of them were Korean?’
She shook her head. ‘If there weren’t any, what do you think it means?’
‘I have no idea.’ Coburn had long since given up wondering. ‘O’Halloran was happy to worry about the missing crates, so he can worry about the missing Koreans.’
‘You said loose ends. What else did you ask Armstrong?’
‘Not a lot – just that I figured it might be an idea to see ifO’Halloran had spoken to whoever it was who made that call to the army. They’d have had a better look at the truck driver than I did, so there’s a chance they might have recognized him.’
She smiled. ‘I know what you’re going to say. O’Halloran couldn’t find anyone who’d admit using the phone because they would have been scared of making more trouble.’
‘That’s what the Americans told Armstrong.’ Coburn decided it was time to change the subject. He pointed to the carryall at her feet. ‘What have you got in there?’
‘Clothes, antibiotics, electrolytes for diarrhoea, paracetamol, hydrogen peroxide and eye ointment. I didn’t know how much stuff to bring because when we spoke on the phone you didn’t say how many days we’d be away.’
‘As long as the freighter comes through the Strait when it’s supposed to, and if Hari doesn’t change his mind at the last minute, we ought to be back here by the weekend.’
‘Is this a freighter the CIA think might be shipping nuclear material from Pakistan to North Korea?’
‘Apparently.’ He wished he could be certain. ‘According to the manifest, a whole lot of zinc ingots have been put on board as well. Pure zinc is worth around seven thousand dollars a ton, and ingots are easy for Hari to trade. That’s why he’s going after them.’
‘This man you call Hari doesn’t know you work for the IMB, though, does he?’
‘Sure he does. He just thinks I’m making a few dollars for myself on the side. I sell him copies of ships’ manifests and he sells me information about other pirate groups in the Strait. That way I get intelligence to pass on to the Singapore Government, and Hari gets his opposition taken out for him by the government. It’s a good deal for both of us.’
‘Except that you think I’ve come along to spoil things.’
‘No I don’t.’ Coburn decided this was the time to hit her with a few truths. ‘That’s why we’re having this talk,’ he said. ‘You have to understand this whole idea of yours is only going to work if Hari believes I picked you up in Bangladesh. It’s OK for you to play at being a nurse, even though you won’t have any work to do, but for as long as we’re at the village you have to pretend you’re my girlfriend. That meanswhether you like it or not, we’ll be living and sleeping in the same hut.’
‘Really.’ She had the amused expression on her face he’d seen before. ‘You’ve already told Hari I’m your girlfriend, have you?’
‘Sort of – when he called round to see if I’d got any new manifests for him. He’s looking forward to meeting you.’
‘Should I be looking forward to meeting him?’
‘Probably. He’s a smart guy. He was born in France, but when he was nineteen he left the country after he got in to some kind of trouble and wound up living in a godforsaken mining town in Madagascar. He spent over ten years there dodging bullets and
She frowned. ‘Is that what you asked Armstrong to do – find out?’
‘He asked the CIA to check with the Japanese, then phoned me back to say the whole campaign had been pretty much of a disaster because of a storm that hit the Sea of Japan at the wrong time. The coastguard spent the best part of four days rescuing fishermen who were trying to make it back to Honshu. Do you want to guess how many of them were Korean?’
She shook her head. ‘If there weren’t any, what do you think it means?’
‘I have no idea.’ Coburn had long since given up wondering. ‘O’Halloran was happy to worry about the missing crates, so he can worry about the missing Koreans.’
‘You said loose ends. What else did you ask Armstrong?’
‘Not a lot – just that I figured it might be an idea to see ifO’Halloran had spoken to whoever it was who made that call to the army. They’d have had a better look at the truck driver than I did, so there’s a chance they might have recognized him.’
She smiled. ‘I know what you’re going to say. O’Halloran couldn’t find anyone who’d admit using the phone because they would have been scared of making more trouble.’
‘That’s what the Americans told Armstrong.’ Coburn decided it was time to change the subject. He pointed to the carryall at her feet. ‘What have you got in there?’
‘Clothes, antibiotics, electrolytes for diarrhoea, paracetamol, hydrogen peroxide and eye ointment. I didn’t know how much stuff to bring because when we spoke on the phone you didn’t say how many days we’d be away.’
‘As long as the freighter comes through the Strait when it’s supposed to, and if Hari doesn’t change his mind at the last minute, we ought to be back here by the weekend.’
‘Is this a freighter the CIA think might be shipping nuclear material from Pakistan to North Korea?’
‘Apparently.’ He wished he could be certain. ‘According to the manifest, a whole lot of zinc ingots have been put on board as well. Pure zinc is worth around seven thousand dollars a ton, and ingots are easy for Hari to trade. That’s why he’s going after them.’
‘This man you call Hari doesn’t know you work for the IMB, though, does he?’
‘Sure he does. He just thinks I’m making a few dollars for myself on the side. I sell him copies of ships’ manifests and he sells me information about other pirate groups in the Strait. That way I get intelligence to pass on to the Singapore Government, and Hari gets his opposition taken out for him by the government. It’s a good deal for both of us.’
‘Except that you think I’ve come along to spoil things.’
‘No I don’t.’ Coburn decided this was the time to hit her with a few truths. ‘That’s why we’re having this talk,’ he said. ‘You have to understand this whole idea of yours is only going to work if Hari believes I picked you up in Bangladesh. It’s OK for you to play at being a nurse, even though you won’t have any work to do, but for as long as we’re at the village you have to pretend you’re my girlfriend. That meanswhether you like it or not, we’ll be living and sleeping in the same hut.’
‘Really.’ She had the amused expression on her face he’d seen before. ‘You’ve already told Hari I’m your girlfriend, have you?’
‘Sort of – when he called round to see if I’d got any new manifests for him. He’s looking forward to meeting you.’
‘Should I be looking forward to meeting him?’
‘Probably. He’s a smart guy. He was born in France, but when he was nineteen he left the country after he got in to some kind of trouble and wound up living in a godforsaken mining town in Madagascar. He spent over ten years there dodging bullets and
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