The next morning Chang, Ali and a technician assembled audio and visual recording gear in Sabatini's living room.
'This is highly unorthodox,' Chang said, 'but so is this whole thing.'
Rosemary and Sabatini smiled at each other. They held coffee cups and were relaxed. It was good to see. I remembered what it was like-that first firing up of a new relationship-but it seemed like a long time ago. The flat was spacious, tastefully decorated with an emphasis on books and CDs. I browsed-fiction and history, biography and economics, blues and soul-my kind of guy apart from the economics. The day was cloudy with rain threatening so the view of the water wasn't inspiring, but it'd still have put thousands on the price or the rent.
'OK,' Chang said. 'I don't think Mr Sabatini should be present. I could do without Mr Hardy, but-'
'I want them both here.'
'You should have a lawyer,' Sabatini said.
'You've been through this sort of thing before, haven't you, Cliff?' Rosemary said.
'A few times.'
'You can warn me of the pitfalls.'
Chang shrugged. We took chairs around the table where the recording devices were set up and Chang made the standard introduction: time, date, place and list of those present. He asked Rosemary to detail her contacts with Selim Houli, giving dates and times as accurately as she could. Rosemary went through it more or less as she'd told me with a few extra details and specific words used. Chang was good; he interrupted her very seldom. Ali asked if she could remember anything of the Lebanese Richard Malouf had used on the phone and Rosemary rattled off a few phrases. Ali nodded. That prompted Chang to ask the same question about Chinese, and Rosemary hesitated before speaking a few words. Chang smiled and he broke the flow again only when he asked for Houli's mobile number.
'It's on my phone,' Rosemary said.
'I'll get it.' Sabatini went into what was obviously one of the bedrooms. Neither Chang, nor Ali nor the technician or I moved a muscle. Sabatini handed Rosemary the phone and she brought up the number and recited it to Chang who thanked her. After she admitted making the false identification she stopped.
'Is that a crime?' she said.
'I'm sure it is,' Chang said. 'But I wouldn't worry about it. Now, Mrs Malouf, you told Mr Hardy there was something you'd forgotten.. . held back from Houli. I need to know what that was.'
Rosemary didn't milk it, or not very much. She put down her coffee cup and spoke directly into the microphone.
'Richard had a boat,' she said. part two