Peccadillo - A Katla Novel (Amsterdam Assassin Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

shower.”
    -o-
    Moving carefully to prevent piping-hot coffee from spewing on his hands, Bram held the tiny cup under the twin spouts of the espresso machine. Due to the sound of the machine he couldn’t hear if the cup was almost full, so he measured by weight. Of course, he could count off the seconds the machine was gurgling, but the grind of the coffee influenced the speed at which the cup filled. He could hear the bathroom door and carefully carried the espresso to the coffee table in front of the couch.
    Katla bounded into the living room. “Just what I needed. A shower and coffee.”
    “You took the thermos with coffee I made you, didn’t you?”
    “Yes, but nothing beats a fresh brew.”
    Beeps sounded as she switched on her cell phones. Part of her professional paranoia—Katla rarely walked around with an active cell phone, claiming she could be triangulated. Just as she carried her bank cards in a special wallet that prevented scanners from reading the RFID chips. One of the cell phones gave the harsh beep of a missed call. Katla slurped her espresso and played the message on the speaker, some guy called Vermeer requesting to be called back.  
    When the message was over Bram tilted his head. “New assignment?”
    “No, it’s my Sphinx phone.” Her voice was pensive. “Never get calls from Pascal.”
    “He sounds arrogant. Is he a friend of yours?”
    “Not exactly, no. Why do you ask?”
    He hesitated, then said, “I don’t like his voice.”
    “I didn’t hire him for his voice.”
    “Who is he?”
    “Sphinx’s accountant. Come to think of it, I didn’t hire him. Emil hired him.”
    “I’d get rid of him,” Bram said. “His voice oozed deceit.”
    “Oozed?” Katla sniggered. “You once told me you couldn’t give a character analysis based on a few minutes of conversation. This was a twenty-second Voicemail message.”
    “Character analysis, no. But I can tell if someone is dishonest.”
    “I check the books every month, Bram. Pascal isn’t stealing. At least not overtly.”
    “He sounds like a sycophant.”
    “He is a sycophant.” Buttons clicked softly as Katla dialled his number. “You want to listen in?”
    “Sure.”
    A recorded message came on, a husky female voice announcing, “You’ve reached Vermeer Financial Services. At the moment no-one is available to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep.”
    Katla waited for the beep. “Katherine Sieltjes returning your call, Pascal. I’m—”
    Abruptly the receiver lifted at the other end. “Ms. Sieltjes? Hang on.”
    A hollow thunk as Vermeer put the receiver on the desk. The hum and echo on the line disappeared as he switched off his answering machine. The receiver picked up again. “Thank you for returning my call, Ms. Sieltjes.”
    “No trouble, Pascal. Is there a problem?”
    “On the contrary, an unexpected windfall.” Vermeer paused for dramatic effect. Bram put his hand on Katla’s shoulder and held a finger to his lips. Her hand patted his in confirmation. Vermeer cleared his throat and resumed, “Cott and Sons are having an auction. You know, the shipbuilders in Scotland?” Katla gave an affirmative murmur and Vermeer continued, “Cott built two vessels for a company that went bankrupt. They’re auctioned off for bottom prices. One is a freighter not unlike the Gizeh. With a bit of luck we could buy it for two-thirds of the regular price. Maybe even half. With Sphinx’s current financial status and future prospects, that investment would turn profitable in less than two years. I’d like to meet this evening at Sphinx, so we can talk things through.”
    Bram signalled ‘slow down’ with his hand.
    “What’s the hurry?” Katla asked. “Can’t this wait till tomorrow?”
    “The auction starts tomorrow at ten and bidders have to be there in person. Your signature has to be on the letter of authority or our representative cannot deal over there.”
    Bram put his hand on her shoulder