Shepherd shook it. ‘Tony,’ he said. ‘Pleasure to be here.’
‘Do not let this man lead you astray,’ said Nasram, grinning at Salik.
‘In what way?’
Nasram patted Salik’s ample stomach. ‘He likes his food too much, this man. Moderation in all things is the way to a long and happy life.’
‘I’ll try to remember that,’ said Shepherd.
‘Enjoy,’ said Nasram. He chuckled and headed back to the kitchen.
Salik waved at the food. ‘Please, Tony, start.’
Shepherd spooned some of everything on to his plate, picked up his fork and began on the aloo dom. He raised his eyebrows. It was good.
‘What do you think?’ asked Salik.
‘Excellent,’ said Shepherd.
Salik handed him a platter of naan bread. He ripped off a chunk and dipped it into the aubergine.
‘So, tell me about your boat,’ said Salik.
‘It’s called a rib, a rigid inflatable boat,’ said Shepherd. ‘Virtually invisible to radar, it can cruise at fifty knots.’
‘And it can cross the Channel?’
‘Easily.’
‘Even in bad weather?’
‘We’d try to do it in reasonable weather,’ said Shepherd. ‘It can go out in storms, but why would we?’
‘And how much would you want?’ asked Matiur.
‘That depends on what you’re bringing over,’ said Shepherd. ‘Like I said before, it’s all about risk.’
‘We should be paying you for the trip,’ said Matiur, ‘not for what you are carrying.’
‘Let me put it another way, then,’ said Shepherd. ‘How much do you think you’ll want to bring over?’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Salik.
‘The weight. The boat can carry about a thousand kilos.’
Salik pursed his lips. ‘Probably a hundred kilos. Maybe two hundred. I am not sure.’
‘How can you not be sure?’ asked Shepherd. ‘You buy it by weight, don’t you?’
‘No, not really.’ He said something to Matiur in Bengali and the two men laughed.
‘What’s the joke?’ asked Shepherd. He had to keep playing the part of the slightly stupid sailor. As far as Tony Corke was concerned, the brothers were bringing in drugs.
‘We don’t buy it by weight, my friend,’ said Salik.
‘That doesn’t make sense,’ said Shepherd.
‘It makes perfect sense,’ said Salik.
Shepherd put down his fork. ‘I think I have the right to know what I’m going to be carrying,’ he said. ‘I’m the one whose balls will be on the line.’
‘It doesn’t matter what you’ll be carrying,’ said Matiur. ‘You’ll get your money anyway.’
Shepherd reached for another hunk of naan. ‘I guess that’s true.’
‘It is, my friend,’ said Salik.
‘What about more deliveries in future? Can this be a regular run?’
‘It is possible,’ said Salik. ‘But first things first. The men in France want to see you.’
‘What?’
Salik smiled reassuringly. ‘It is not a problem. They just want to know who they are dealing with.’
‘You can tell them I delivered the first load.’
‘I have. But I also had to tell them that you charged me thirty thousand pounds.’
‘Who are they?’ asked Shepherd. Meeting the French end of the currency ring was exactly what he wanted but Tony Corke wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea of getting involved with foreign gangsters.
‘The men who gave Pernaska the cans to bring over.’
‘And they’re French, yeah?’
Salik shook his head. ‘Albanian,’ he said.
‘Why are you working with Albanians?’ asked Shepherd.
‘They have the money,’ said Salik.
‘What money?’ asked Shepherd, pouncing on Salik’s slip.
Salik and Matiur exchanged a look. Matiur gave a small shrug. ‘Okay,’ said Salik. ‘We’re not bringing drugs over. It’s cash. Currency. And the Albanians have it.’
‘If it’s just money, why not put it into the boot of a car and bring it over on the ferry?’