Читать книгу Deadline Istanbul (The Elizabeth Darcy Series) - Peggy Hanson - Страница 45

CHAPTER 41

A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.

Turkish proverb

I jotted down the name: Leila Metin at Topkapı Museum. I’d go see her very soon. People were starting to demand Haldun Kutlu’s attention in the Cümhüriyet office, so I stood to leave.

I’d found a companion in the cynical, weathered journalist. Our search could be unpleasant, at best, and dangerous, at worst.

“Haldun Bey, I think we have a deal.” Our gazes met for a moment. The kindly intelligence reassured me.

“Before I forget, let me give you these papers,” he said. “Franklin dropped these by my house a couple days before he died. I have theories. It may be better I not have them at the office.”

And they were safer with me? A murder had taken place last night on the sidewalk of my hotel. Should I keep valuable documents there? I hadn’t even told Haldun about that incident. But he was clearly ushering me out. There would be time later.

He handed me the small packet of papers, which I received with the solemnity it deserved. It’s rare for journalists to share something as vital as information. This indicated trust.

“I appreciate this,” I said. “I’ll call you when I’ve finished.” Then I left with my briefcase bulging and a set of new theories in my head.

There was something gallant about Haldun Kutlu. It touched me. He knew we were wading into an unknown morass better than I. If he didn’t flinch, neither would I.

I caught a cab back to the Pera Palas. I didn’t want to walk the streets with valuable papers. It was good to get going on my basic missions, of covering the news while searching for the truth about Peter.

I went straight to the Tribune office, greeting Bayram and doing my morning read-in. I kept the papers from Haldun Kutlu in my briefcase, resting against my leg. It would be good to get those back to the hotel this afternoon. It would also be good to get back to Jane Austen. You wouldn’t find terror cells or murders of friends or even strangers anywhere near her settled village life.