The Third Woman. Mark Burnell

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      His suite was on the seventh floor. He emerged from the bathroom in a navy suit without a tie. Stephanie caught a trace of sandalwood in his cologne. Peltor wore a trim goatee beard at the same thickness as the hair on his head, somewhere between crop and stubble. He stepped into a pair of black Sebago loafers and they went down to Mark’s, the hotel restaurant.

      Orange juice and coffee arrived. Peltor ordered scrambled eggs and bacon, Petra stuck with fruit and croissants. She said, ‘You running into me at Café Roma yesterday …’

      He took his time, sipping coffee, playing with the teaspoon on the saucer. ‘Yeah. I know.’

      ‘And?’

      He struggled for an answer, then looked almost apologetic. ‘All my adult life, I’ve had my finger on a trigger, Petra. First for my country, then for my bank balance. In that time, I’ve been the best there is. We both have. Different specialities, same environment. But nobody knows what we do. We have to lie to everyone. We can’t relax. That time at JFK – we were just a couple of business colleagues shooting the breeze in an airport lounge. A few stories, a few drinks. It was nice. But I didn’t think I’d get the chance to do it again. Then yesterday … there you were.’

      ‘A coincidence?’

      ‘I hope so.’

      ‘Someone I used to know said that a coincidence was an oversight.’

      He sat back in his chair and held open his hands. ‘Shit, it happens, you know? You’re walking down a street somewhere – Osaka, Toronto, Berlin – and some guy calls out your name. When you turn round there’s a face you haven’t seen since the fourth grade back in Austin, Texas.’

      ‘Is that where you grew up?’

      ‘Never let your defences down, do you?’

      ‘Never.’

      Peltor held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Look, I saw you in Café Roma. I could’ve walked away but I didn’t. That’s all there is to it. I just thought we could talk again like we did in New York. You know, take a time-out. If you’re uneasy with that … well, then I guess you’ll leave.’

      But she didn’t. Perhaps because she’d enjoyed JFK too. Taking a time-out, talking shop. Relaxing.

      Peltor’s eggs and bacon arrived. The waitress poured Petra more coffee. The restaurant was mostly empty, the businessmen long gone, just four other tables occupied, none of them too close.

      Gradually, they drifted into conversation. Nothing personal, not at first. They talked about Juha Suomalainen, a Finnish marksman whom Peltor had always regarded as a rival rather than a kindred spirit. Petra asked whether he was still active.

      ‘I doubt it. He’s been dead for six months.’

      ‘Who got him?’

      ‘Husqvarna.’

      ‘I don’t know the name. Sounds Nordic.’

      ‘Husqvarna make chainsaws.’

      ‘I’m not with you.’

      ‘Juha was at his home in Espoo. Up a ladder, cutting branches off a tree. Somehow he fell and the chainsaw got him. And before you ask, I was in Hawaii with a drink in my hand.’

      Petra pulled apart a croissant. ‘Well, statistically speaking, this is a risky business. You just don’t expect any of us to go like that.’

      ‘Right. Like Vincent Soares. Cancer. Wasn’t even forty-five.’

      When Peltor talked about his time as a Marine, Petra was surprised to learn that he wasn’t the rabid jock-patriot she’d suspected he might be, although he admitted to missing the comradeship. But not much.

      ‘This is a lot better. Like owning your own business, know what I mean? You work hard but you got no boss busting your ass.’

      As far as Peltor was concerned, she’d always been Petra Reuter, the anarchist who turned assassin. Originally, however, Petra had been created by an organization. And controlled by that organization. Petra was an identity handed to Stephanie. A shell to inhabit. And in those days there had been a boss. A man who had regulated every aspect of her life. But as time passed, flesh and fabric had merged and Stephanie had become Petra. Or was it the other way round? In any case, Petra had outgrown her fictional self. Now, both the organization and the boss were consigned to her past while Petra Reuter was more of a reality than she had ever been.

      Peltor ate a piece of bread roll smeared with butter and marmalade. Petra waited for the predictable reaction: the grimace. He picked up the small marmalade jar.

      ‘Look at this, will you? Look at the colour. Way too light. Like dirty water. Too much sugar, not enough orange. And no bitterness. Marmalade doesn’t work unless there’s a trace of bitterness.’

      When he wasn’t killing people Peltor liked to make marmalade. The first time she’d discovered this she’d laughed out loud. Later, when she thought about it, it simply reinforced a truth: you can never really know someone.

      ‘You still getting the same kick out of it?’ she asked.

      When they’d last met, Peltor had explained what drove him on: the quest for perfect performance. It all comes down to the shot, Petra. Last contract I took was nine months from start to finish. All of it distilled into half a second.

      There was no longer any trace of that enthusiasm. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll take another contract.’

      ‘That surprises me.’

      ‘I’m kinda drifting into something new right now.’ He tugged the lapel of his jacket. ‘Something … corporate.’

      ‘That surprises me more.’

      ‘It shouldn’t. You know the way the math works. I’ve had my time at the plate, Petra. And if you don’t mind me saying so, so have you.’

      ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, I’d guess you’re a decade older than me.’

      It was more like fifteen years, but technically Petra was older than Stephanie.

      ‘It’s not about age. It’s about time served.’

      She reduced her indifference to a shrug. ‘I’m touched by your concern.’

      ‘Don’t outstay your welcome, Petra. Most of the assholes out there – I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if they get wasted. But I like you. You got class. Don’t be the champ who doesn’t know when to quit.’

      ‘When it’s time, I’ll know.’

      ‘Bullshit. The people who say that never know. Know why? Because the second before they realize it, they find their brains in their lap.’

      ‘I’ll try to remember that.’

      ‘Just do it. Retire. Or shift sideways like I have.’

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